Inevitable
by BottledFish
Summary: As things move fast for Davis & Hikari, Takeru finds himself falling to the backdrop.  Tai struggles as his 2 best friends find love in each other.  With both boys grasping at straws, who will find victory in the inevitable? Takari/Daikari,Sorato. MY 1ST!
1. Falling Fast

**Inevitable: A Digimon Adventures 07* FanFic**

*07 indicating year

Takeru had always thought he and Hikari were meant to be but he soon finds her drifitng towards a maturing Davis. Meanwhile, Tai attempts to salvage a friendship in the ruins of a broken heart. But who will find victory in the Inevitable? (Daikari, Takari, Sorato, and a bit of Taiora)

**Chapter One: Falling Fast**

It was a Friday night. The café was chic and urban. It had an air of stuffiness, but not the rich-snobby kind. Tai felt like he didn't know enough about art to be here. The walls were painted cream and it ran in streams against the soft wood. Canvases hung, each a different kind of abstract or satire. On the left wall was a poem written in paint, red and blue splattered over it. Through the air floated music Tai had never even heard. It didn't sound remotely familiar.

Having come straight from university, then soccer, Tai was dressed sloppily in his school uniform. Rather than a green blazer, however, he wore blue. His pants were khaki, but then again, his pants always were.

He put his phone on silent then retired it to his pocket. It was time for a dinner with old friends. Sora, being his closest and oldest friend, deserved his full attention. He wasn't a huge texter anyhow.

She sat across from him, dressed in a jumper-dress and cap sleeves underneath. She hadn't had classes today. Admittedly, Sora's sense of dress had developed and feminized since they were twelve. She looked… nice. It was something he had noticed nearly five years ago.

Sora smiled at him. "It's been a while!"

"We text," he responded, offended. They still spoke often, and though he did not like texting very much, he always made sure to talk to his best friend.

"That's true. My inbox is almost always full!"

The two laughed easily. After the waiter asked for their drinks, they reverted back to their conversations. It was playful banter at first and some arguing about Tai's choice of soft drink. They laughed at how easily they fell back into their old selves, and reveled in how different they were now. They discussed nearly everything. Only a few topics were left untouched. Sora asked about how soccer was at his university.

"I'm a starter," he replied, beaming. "It's rather distracting with school—"

"Straight B's again, Tai?" she asked cheekily.

He grinned and pretended to roll his eyes.

"How's your mom's flower shop?" Tai asked, changing the subject.

"Good. She's been sick lately, so I've been running it on my own. I kind of enjoy it; the organizing and designing."

He had almost forgotten she was studying design. It was so different from the Sora he knew when they were little.

"School's doing well, then?" he asked, sipping his soda.

"Oh, definitely! I love it—" she gave him a look, "It's surprising, I know. But you're choice of major surprised me as well. You created your own, right?"

"Not really. It's just political sciences, but with Digi-World studies incorporated into it."

Sora nodded, a knowing look on her face. "I should have known. You were always so good at defending justice over there, it's about time you did it professionally!"

"Nah," he replied, shaking his head, "It's not fighting this time. It's more like… peacemaking. I don't want to become some leader over there; the Digimon Emperor proved that it's not natural for humans to do that…"

They both stared at the table darkly.

Then, "I just want to represent them. I want to join the United Nations."

At this point, Sora looked completely taken aback. She took Tai seriously, but she didn't know he was that serious. He was more mature now, making real decisions in his life. Important ones. Tai seemed to be handling it well.

"The U.N.? Wow, Tai!"

He blushed sheepishly. "I didn't want to at first, but once they offered…"

Without warning, she took his hand from across the table and squeezed it. They smiled at each other.

"I'm proud of you, Tai. You're doing really well!"

Somehow, Tai knew she was more than just 'proud.' He was always a hothead, thinking impulsively. Sora was surprised, too. Political sciences was a high-class job with a lot of studies involved; it must be surprising to see him so intense about his schooling for once.

He was about to reply when the air shifted. Someone had entered the room. It was weird how different everything felt. Tai hadn't realized he had been leaning over the table intently as he talked to Sora. Immediately, he straightened up.

The reason a new presence had made such an impact on Tai was because it was his old friend Matt. He was wearing a button up and designer jeans. It was hard to believe he was some hot-shot rock star now.

Matt nodded at Tai with this cool air of nonchalance that Tai was never quite able to achieve. Quiet confidence versus vibrant courage. They were almost complete opposites, yet they were nearly the best of friends.

Except, of course, for that tiny rivalry embedded in them since they were twelve.

Tai smiled widely and said a happy hello.

Sora tilted her head up to say hello, too, when Matt bent down and kissed her cheek. There was an obvious blush in her cheeks. Tai felt his back stiffen.

"So… Matt, what brings you here?"

The blonde took a seat next to Sora and scooted his chair over an inch or two. He picked up a menu and began to look through it before responding. "Sora invited me."

Tai's face fell. "Oh…"

Sora was quick to pick up the mess. "Matt introduced me to the place! Of course I had to invite him again…" A nervous tone in her voice made Tai worried about her response.

With an uneasy voice, Tai asked, "You two have been here together before?"

"No…no!" sputtered Sora rather hurriedly.

Tai cocked an eyebrow. All the while, Matt was reading the menu. He gestured to a waiter, and he arrived quickly.

"Mr. Ishida! Will it be the usual for you two?"

"Nah, Li, I'll have the sashimi instead. Sora will have the same." From behind him, Sora nodded.

Tai glared at Sora. "Haven't been here, huh? Did the waiter somehow know your typical sushi order?" he mumbled under his breath. From his periphery, he saw Sora blush. Louder now, he ordered, "I'll have some udon, please. I'm actually not that hungry."

Once the waiter was gone, Sora rounded on Tai. "Not that hungry? Tai, you have to eat! You just came from soccer! Besides, you're always hungry." She was holding his hand and looking into his eyes urgently.

Matt twitched, but calmed himself. "Relax. He'll eat when he eats."

The easy conversing from earlier had faded. It wasn't that Tai wasn't close with Matt, it's just that there was a new tension in the air. He couldn't quite shake it, but Tai felt like he didn't want Matt there.

It was going to be a long dinner.

* * *

Hikari approached Davis' apartment door nervously. She was late, and she knew it. Today had been a long day and her nap ended up longer than intended. Gatomon was even harder to shake awake, so Hikari was forced to leave her little pet behind.

Now that the Digital world and Earth were connected through everybody, the Digidestined had to work harder to keep the peace. Two months ago Hikari had bigger problems than just coming to parties on time. This day eight weeks before was the first time a human committed a crime in the Digital World. They had been expecting it to happen, but nothing like this.

Even after Malo-Myotismon was defeated and people around the world were receiving digimon, the Digidestined were still the only ones able to travel freely between the new worlds. The first four years were like that, but just this year did the gate open up for everybody. Humans could be so malicious sometimes. They clearly did not understand the gravity of their situation.

Some reckless humans had implanted a virus, one much like Diaboromon's, and it spread like wild fire within a span of three days. The old and new digidestined of Japan had to work hard to purify the Digi-World once more.

It took only a week to get the Digital World back in order, but since then the Digidestined had to work on a new set of laws and morals so that a human would not interfere like that again. It broke Hikari's heart to see someone do something so cruel, but it all ended well. They weren't sure if the gates would be closing up soon, so the children were on their guard.

Davis, always ready to party, felt it best everyone celebrate. Hikari smiled at the thought of spending time with her friends without the pressure of saving the Digital World.

Inhaling, Hikari knocked on Davis' door. She had only been over to his house three times because they usually met up at hers, so it would be interesting to see the Motomiya residence again.

A bright Davis, who was wearing the usual pair of shorts, but with a polo shirt this time, opened the door. It reminded Hikari of Takeru. She smiled back whole heartedly.

Davis took Hikari into a very tight, rather awkward, hug. "You came!"

"You seem surprised," said Hikari skeptically as she stepped into the house.

"Well," he began, blushing, "No one showed up."

"You're kidding, Davis? Why would anyone want to miss one of your parties?" If anyone else had said that, it would have been meant to be sarcasm. But the words came from Hikari, and they were sincere. Struggling with her shoes, she set the box of cookies she had been carrying aside.

Davis immediately took it up and sniffed. "Nice… But yeah, you're my only guest so far tonight!"

Admittedly, Hikari was put out. She was so looking forward to a laughter-filled house. He must have noticed, because his fingers came to her face and lifted up her chin. They were actually soft, something she had not expected from the stubborn and aggressive Davis. Her face reddened, but he paid no heed.

"You're not excited anymore, are you, Hikari?" His eyes were sincerely sad.

Quickly Hikari shook her head. He was being vulnerable! His change in mood seemed promising. "Of course I'm excited! A party thrown by Davis Motomiya? Why, I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Davis grinned boyishly and bounded towards his living room, tugging Hikari along. "That's great! We could have tons of fun without them." After letting her plop onto the couch, he began to rifle through some paper. "I made a list of things we could do… board games? Nah, too boring. I like T.V.!—But I doubt you will…"

She watched him for a few minutes, bemused, before finally snapping him out of his manic search for activities. Gently, she tugged on his hand. "Davis, we could just talk."

He looked up at their hands, surprised. "Yeah! Sounds great!"

Hikari smiled, pleased with his usual enthusiasm, before letting her hand fall from his. The tips of their fingers touched, and the warmth lingered. Was it embarrassment? That had to be it.

Tentatively, Davis sat on the couch. He inched closer, giving her funny glances through the corner of his eye. She laughed.

"I won't bite!"

"Promise?" he asked, playing along.

They both smiled.

"Of course I won't."

To comfort him, Hikari pat his knee. The muscles in his leg twitched, causing her to giggle internally. They stayed silent for more than seven minutes, until Davis felt too antsy to sit there any longer.

"You said we'd talk!" he whined.

"Then why don't you start, Davis?" she said, scowling.

"Oh, right. Er, what's your favorite color?"

"Really?" She tugged on her pink jumper-dress. "Pink."

"Oh, really? I suppose that was rather obvious..." Davis scratched the back of his head nervously.

She ignored this so as not to embarrass him further. Instead, she changed the subject. "Where's Jun?"

"At one of Matt's concerts. She says she gave up on him, since he sort of has a thing with Sora, but I don't believe her. She has a pillow with Matt's—"

Hikari cut him off. "Matt and Sora have a 'thing?'"

Inside, she felt her heart fall. Taichi had been so excited to meet up with his old friend. Though her hardheaded brother would never admit it, Hikari knew he felt more than just friendly emotions toward the bearer of Love.

Davis squeezed Hikari's knee gently. She looked up, surprised to find Davis smiling at her, his eyes soft. "Tai will be fine!"

It was as if he had read her mind. She had always thought only Tai and Takeru had that connection with her. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Davis and Tai were good friends and he was probably worrying about the same things.

Hikari nodded, reassured. "Thanks, Davis."

"No problem…" He scratched his head again. "Well, that conversation turned for the worst. Any ideas as to what we should talk about next?"

"Well, by asking me how to prevent an awkward conversation, my response can't help but be anything but awkward!"

He ruffled her hair, and she stuck her tongue out, laughing. "Fine, fine! We could play twenty questions!"

"How?" he asked, his face looking thoroughly confused.

"You ask each other twenty questions…" explained Hikari slowly. This was how many of her conversations with Davis went.

"Oh, right! I'll go first, then! What was your first impression of me?"

Of course it would be related to Hikari's opinion of him! She should have known better than to enter a game of twenty questions with someone who was totally infatuated with her.

Still, his passion was refreshing to her. He seemed so eager to please, and though it could be overwhelming at times, it was actually endearing at the moment. There was more to Davis than she had realized.

Hikari willingly replied to his question, excited to see his reaction. She explained to him how she had found him rather cute. Always observant, she noted how he had smiled widely and that his eyes crinkled so much they were almost completely closed. Then Hikari recounted the hug he had given her. It was a surprising one, but not as surprising at what he had said after.

"Then you looked me over and said, 'Wow! You're really cute. Really, really cute,'" she finished with a hearty laugh.

Davis' face was thoroughly flushed. He laughed nervously. His eyes averted from hers.

She pat his back gently before pressing on. "My turn! Why do you try so hard to impress me?"

"Because you're 'really, really cute!'" he said simply.

Honestly, Hikari could not tell if he was teasing her or not. But that was all the answer her gave her and she found it rather superficial. Still, it was flattering to hear and it even made her ears red.

They continued on like this, asking different types of questions. She learned his favorite colors were orange and blue, much like Taichi's. Davis found that Hikari has gotten deathly ill almost three times in her life. She cherished each and every one of her friends dearly, but her closest friend was Takeru. It was said that Davis stopped wetting the bed just two years ago and that his sister Jun still pretends to put make up on him.

They both learned each other's interests. Hikari showed him how a camera worked and Davis gave her a few soccer tips to try out.

"I honestly don't play as much as I'd like to," she said. Her foot was trying to find the perfect angle at which to kick the ball. It was hard work, considering she didn't want to break anything in his house.

She took her shot and made it square center into their make shift goal. Davis cheered and gave her an aggressive hug before going back to pick up the ball.

"Thanks for teaching me! Who taught you?"

"Tai, actually. You know, it's weird, I would have figured he'd have shown you by now!"

Hikari laughed and nodded. "But like I said; I hardly ever play! Dance takes up so much time."

"Well, it pays off," he muttered. It was so quiet Hikari was able to pretend she had not heard that.

"Question ten? Right?" she asked while Davis fidgeted with the goal.

"For you. I'm on nine!" he said brightly. "Shoot."

"Who were your friends before you became a Digidestined?"

He thought about it, his face screwed up tight. "I suppose I would have to say Tai, Tommy, and Joshua. They're all from my soccer team."

"Don't you miss them? Tommy and Joshua, I mean," she asked quietly. It wouldn't count as one of her twenty questions, because this was just a follow up.

Davis nodded. Apparently, Tommy had moved to Nakano in the sixth grade, the exact year in which Davis got his Digivice. Joshua still played soccer with Davis, but he had somehow obtained "cooler" friends. Still, Davis had Tai and his new friends and they were much closer than Davis had been with his old friends. "It was worth it," Davis finished brightly.

Hikari nodded, smiling. He really could be sweet.

They kicked the soccer ball around his living room a few more times before his mother came out and yelled at him to stop making a racket. Mrs. Motomiya greeted Hikari before retreating back to her bedroom.

At around nine o'clock, Davis thought it was best to feed Hikari already. Together they went to the kitchen. They set the table and microwaved some frozen dinner. He took out a few glasses of milk so they could feast on the cookies Hikari had brought.

Dinner had commenced, and rather than barking questions at each other, they fell into amiable company. Sometimes it was silent, with just the sound of their chewing and the whirring of their thoughts. Other times they were teasing each other.

There was always that bucket of water floating over Hikari's head, though. It wouldn't allow her to be fully comfortable. Davis liked her; he liked her much more than she had realized.

And to be completely honest, Hikari didn't know how she felt about him anymore. It wasn't anything deep, but there was a new sense of warmth inside her when she thought of him. Perhaps it was just a crush?

Stupid Digidestined. If they had all showed up, things wouldn't be so complicated.

* * *

They were walking through the Downtown area, Sora in between the two boys. Matt had his arm around the girl's shoulders, while Tai's hands were shoved deep into his pockets, playing nervously with his keys.

Sure, Sora and Matt had had a thing three years ago but lately Tai had been so busy he never bothered to follow up on the subject. It bothered Tai that she had never brought it up before during their texting sessions. It seemed that they were really cushy now. From the corner of his eye, Tai observed his two friends. Sora was giggling because Matt had been tickling her under her arm. She shoved him gently and Matt chuckled.

The cozy couple seemed to have noticed Tai and they stopped their flirting. He might have imagined it, but Tai felt a feather light touch on his elbow. Sora must have felt terrible, but perhaps not as terrible as Tai did at the moment.

It was true, though. Tai had to concede that he was hoping that tonight would be considered a date. Even if it wasn't, Tai was hoping that this simple dinner could develop into something more.

But even Tai could admit when he was wrong. Tonight would have to be one of those times.

He sped up his pace and walked a few feet ahead of them.

"Hey, Tai, why so distant?" came Matt's quiet but slightly rough voice.

By accident, the big-haired brunette snorted. Tai tried to cover it up with a faux sneeze. "Er, just worrying about Hikari."

"Why? What happened?" asked Sora. He heard her footsteps and soon enough she was touching Tai's arm again, imploring him.

He blushed, but the night hid it. "Don't worry, Sora. It's nothing. It's just that Takeru left me a text."

This part was true. For the first time in three weeks, Tai had a message in his inbox from someone other than Sora. He pulled out his cell phone for emphasis.

Matt's voice came from behind him, interrupting Tai's typing. "My brother texted you?" there was a possessive tone in his voice, "What'd Takeru say?"

"He didn't go to Davis' party. None of our generation went and I remember Ken and Yolei declined as soon as the party was optioned. Cody's too young apparently. That means Hikari is at Davis' alone," Tai said, finishing it off darkly.

Matt laughed. "I'm sure it's no big deal, Tai! There'll be some harmless flirting and then Hikari will head home. I bet you she won't even stay late."

"I wonder if Takeru knows Hikari's there alone," murmured Sora quietly.

Both boys ignored her. Tai had felt his anger well up against Matt, and he snapped out despite the irrationality of it all. "Sure, Hikari will be fine, right? Who's going to walk her home? There are immature kids running around with their digimon and Davis isn't exactly a gentleman; he won't be taking her!"

"What about Gatomon?" challenged Matt coolly.

"She didn't come with Hikari. At least, I don't think."

Matt didn't say anything after that. Tai could feel Sora's eyes on him as they walked and he looked down at her.

"What?" he asked, half laughing.

"Hikari will be fine," she said. Then quietly, she added, "I'm so sorry."

She probably wasn't talking about Hikari anymore. But as soon as the moment came, it ended and Sora was back to swinging hands with Matt.

Embitterment crept over him. His two best friends. They told him everything from how their last match or concert was to the dramatics of their family. There was nothing they hid from him-except their love lives.

It stung him. It slapped him in the face. Here was this girl he was pretty sure he loved and his best friend who would follow him to hell and beat up Satan with him, and yet they hid this huge piece of news from him.

Sora giggled again. To Tai, it sounded like the Devil reveling in his broken heart.

(a/n: lol. Dramatic)

* * *

Davis hugged Hikari good bye and she departed. After about eleven paces, Davis ran out after her. "Wait! I still have six questions, Hikari!"

"And I have five. I won't forget, Davis!" she said, smiling.

He blushed and scratched his head. "Okay… Well, thanks for coming!"

"I'll see you at school!"

Since he had a flat on the sixth floor, Hikari decided to take the elevator. They stairs at his complex were outdoors and frankly it was cold and dark. She didn't want to slip.

The elevator took all of three minutes. The cold wind hit Hikari's face like cat claws. She rubbed her cheeks to get the warmth back in before setting off for home.

A familiar voice made her jump.

"He's not walking you home, is he?" asked her brother with a bark of laughter.

"Taichi!" Hikari turned around and hugged her older brother. "I thought you'd still be with Sora!"

He laughed again but it sounded almost bitter. Hikari remembered what Davis had told her about Sora and Matt and she felt her face flush.

He saw her look and he tried to pretend nothing was wrong. Draping an arm around his petit sister, he ruffled his hair with his other hand.

"I'm just here to save you from the evil darkness! Big brother Tai, to the rescue."

She smiled up at him. "You've been so busy with university, I'm just glad to see you again. Thanks, Tai."

"Just because I leave doesn't mean I'll never come back for my baby sister!"

"You're sweet. You didn't have to."

"It's okay, I needed the company anyway."

That statement only made Hikari worry. Was her independent big brother suddenly vulnerable?

He squeezed her shoulders and the siblings traded fake smiles. With that final glance, they walked home together.


	2. Genuine Surprise

**Chapter Two: Genuine Surprise  
**

The tapping sound was fast and doubled. Tonight, mother and son were both at their computers, writing. At least, they were trying to.

Ms. Takaishi was busy with a conference call from her boss. Apparently, she needed to get her article in as soon as possible. However, the time wasted with him yelling at her prevented her from writing anything for her column!

Her son Takeruwas at the desk on the opposite wall, reading an e-mail he had gotten from his best friend Hikari. True, it was distracting him from a short story he was writing, but he felt that Hikari was the priority.

_Dear Takeru,_

_Hey! I really wish that you were there Friday! Davis and I had loads of fun and I actually learned that he's more than just an arrogant, obnoxious leader! I hope you'll be at school tomorrow, because we didn't visit each other the whole weekend. I believe that's a record for us. Besides, I have to show you some new dance moves I learned._

_I have to go, now, though. I know you wished that I'd write longer e-mails, but I can't this time. Gatomon's getting antsy and I have to go get her some milk!_

_Yours Truly,_

_Hikari_

Takeru smiled. He really did wish she'd write longer letters, but just hearing from her at all made him pleased. Thinking it best to sit on her letter, he began to work on his freelance writing. He would reply a little bit later, when his head was clearer.

Behind him, Nancy's boss was still yelling.

"Mom, why don't you just hang up on the guy and tell him you lost internet connection?"

"Because I don't want to get fired," she muttered from the side of her mouth. "Sorry, sir-Yes, I'm still listening. Yes, listening very intently."

Shaking his head with laughter, Takeru turned back to his own work.

It was amazing how engrossed Takeru could get in his work. It was now eleven o'clock and he had written over ten pages to his story. He hadn't even noticed when his mother's boss had hung up on the videoconference.

Closing his document, he stifled a yawn. It was probably best if he went to bed now, considering he had school the next day. But as soon as the window had closed, the e-mail from Hikari popped up. He read over it again and began to type furiously.

_Hey, Hikari,_

_You were alone with Davis at that party? I would have come if you had just told me that! But from what I hear it wasn't too terrible._

The curser pulsed after the period. He soaked in what he had just written. Hikari had fun at Davis' house. With just Davis.

Without him.

In his mind, Takeru was the only one Hikari could hang out with for hours on end without feeling awkward. Yolei talked far too much and Hikari often said it made her feel overwhelmed. The fact that the only thing Ken and Hikari shared was the darkness always made Hikari afraid to strike up a conversation. Cody was too serious and made Hikari feel immature, despite her older age. Finally, there was Davis. He liked her and was more obnoxious than her brother! Though he was a good guy, Takeru had always felt that Hikari was embarrassed to be around Davis for too long. Apparently, he had misinterpreted this.

Clearing his throat, Takeru continued the e-mail.

_I can't wait to see your new dance! You're so graceful, I'm sure it will be beautiful. I'll see you at school!_

_Dutifully Yours,  
Takeru_

The formal adjectives were not new to Takeru's vocabulary. Having the heart of a writer, he was always the best at giving elegant compliments. The "dutifully yours" written in his signature was an inside joke between him and Hikari. That's why she put "yours truly."

When they were younger, Takeru was much like her guardian, especially when Tai was not present. Hikari would never feel safe unless she could be with Takeru, too. They had such a strong bond for eight year olds. Though Hikari was perfectly capable of fending and defending, it was still cute to give themselves to each other in this protective way. After all, they were best friends.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, warm and soft. "Yeah, mom?"

"Nothing. Just go to bed soon, okay, Takeru?" she asked in her soft voice.

"Of course! Just finishing my e-mail to—"

"Hikari. I know. Christ, since we moved to Odaiba, you two have been inseparable."

After quitting his applications, Takeru stood up and hugged his mom. "You say that like it's something new! It's been this way for nearly four years!"

She blushed. "I know, but now I see you're really growing up. Though you two are just as close, it doesn't mean you're relationship is the same."

"It's matured?"

"That's what I've always thought," Nancy said quietly, her eyes on the floor.

Takeru hugged his mother tighter. He was a good four inches taller than her, standing at 5"8 (and still growing). Maybe he was maturing himself. His mother kissed his cheek and patted his shoulder before heading to her bedroom.

His mother was right. There was something different about his relationship with Hikari. It had a deeper meaning now. They had cultivated it and now they could sit back and watch it bloom.

At least, that's what his fantasy told him. But it seemed that a new obstacle had entered the field, and Takeru now had some competition.

* * *

"Favorite… game?" Hikari asked tentatively. For good measure, she added, "_besides_ soccer."

Davis pouted, causing her to laugh. "I guess I'd have to say stri—"

They answer was never finished. She never got to comment on his favorite game because Takeru had tapped her shoulder and she whirled around to hug him.

"Hey! How have you been?"

"Good, good. Just did a lot of writing this weekend," commented the blonde lightly.

He walked easily next to her, trapping her in between the two boys. Davis seemed upset, but Takeru was oblivious to this. He was just happy to see his best friend again after three days.

"Good for you, Takeru You love writing."

They just smiled at each other, while Davis "hmphed" next to them.

Finally, they paid the be-goggled boy heed. "Sorry, Davis, what were you saying about strippers?"

Hikari frowned. "I thought it was striped something."

Takeru shook his head. "I don't think so. It was definitely something about naked dancing women."

"If they are strippers, they technically aren't naked _yet_, then," Hikari said.

Their conversation seemed serious, but of course the two were joking. They laughed, only causing Davis to fume more.

"I was saying 'strip poker!'" Davis yelled.

Hikari was blushing, afraid someone would associate her with that mature game. Embarrassed, Hikari adjusted her uniform's skirt so that it would look longer. Takeru rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Davis, try and be a bit more tactful?" Takeru asked in his gentle voice. Given, it still sounded defensive.

"Shove off, T-time."

Hikari whipped her head around to glare at Davis, but Takeru's hand prevented her from yelling at the disrespectful leader.

"It's fine, Hikari! I have to go anyway. We have morning practice for basketball and we're scrimmaging the Junior Varsity team!" Even though he was just a sophomore, Takeru was already on the Varsity basketball team.

"Good luck, then!" said Hikari in bright reply.

Takeru gave his final wave before setting off towards the gym. He ran, considering how big the high school campus was. It was much larger than their junior high school. She smiled after him and hugged her books tighter to her chest.

"What's so great about him anyway?" muttered Davis bitterly.

Hikari ignored his inquiry with a question of her own. "Did you notice how only half of his mouth is grinning? It's like a half smile, but wide. Like the Cheshire cat."

"Maybe he has brain damage. Yeah, he has a brain defect so only one half of his face works!"

She scowled, but didn't respond to Davis' childish accusations.

To save himself, Davis changed the subject. "So, strip poker!

Hikari almost started laughing at once. She didn't like to be mad, so it made it that much easier to cheer her up. "You're silly. Um, what's your favorite subject?"

"Geometry," said Davis easily. Of course it was because it was their only class together.

Hikari blushed.

"That's one of mine, too."

Both Davis _and Takeru_ were in that class.

* * *

The geometry classroom was set up in three columns. The two end columns could fit two students per desk, while the center columns could fit three. Hikari usually sat in the center, on the right end with Takeru next to her in the middle. On the other side of him was a quiet boy who was actually a freshman. His name was Jake, but he really didn't speak much. Still, Takeru and Hikari liked to be friendly to him.

Jake was sick today, as Mr. Fujiyama explained. With a bright face, Davis took Hikari's usual seat leaving Hikari to choose between the other end and the middle. Would it be rude to keep a whole space in between them just to save Takeru his usual spot? Or should she just let Takeru have Jake's seat?

She decided on the latter, and once they had all their books out, Davis and Hikari began to speak again.

"Five questions left, Kamiya. What's it going to be?"

"You aren't going to use any of yours?" she asked, curious. "That didn't count, by the way."

"Nah. I want to save them for when I come up with really insightful ones."

"I won't hold my breath," she teased.

Davis barely heard her so he just stared goofily at her as an alternative. They fell into a silence again as they waited for the fifth period bell to ring.

Takeru arrived precisely thirty-five seconds before the official bell rang and he paused only for a second to take in the new seating arrangement. After a few blinks, he sat beside Hikari and smiled easily, as if nothing was different.

"Hey, Hikari. Davis!" he greeted amiably.

Rather than reply, Hikari smiled warmly in return as the bell began to ring. He wouldn't have heard her reply anyhow. Davis grunted and began doodling in his notebook to distract himself.

Class went by as slowly as usual. Hikari and Takeru took their notes, while Davis continued his doodling. They also passed notes, which wasn't new for Takeru and Hikari. However, for the first time Hikari was passing notes with Davis as well. It irritated Takeru to a slight extent, considering it delayed Hikari's replies.

The bell rang and every child in the classroom began to pack swiftly. No one wanted to stay in that hellhole longer than necessary. Hikari, who liked to stay organized, took longer to pack than everyone else. Davis waved goodbye to her, eager to get to his next class, which was gym. He had chosen to take physical education as an elective, despite the credits he received from playing soccer.

"You coming?" asked Takeru

They had the same class next. It was their Literature class; Takeru's favorite subject, save for his elective of Creative Writing.

Hikari nodded. "Let's go!"

Together they headed for the adjacent building where they would sit at the same desk again. The two shared almost all of the same classes, except for their electives (Hikari took photography) and their sciences (they were in the same level, just separate classes).

"What's with you and Davis lately?" asked Takeru in an attempt of a nonchalant voice. Hikari, who always believed the best in people, believed his indifference.

"Nothing! We're just better friends now," replied she, half laughing. "Why do you ask?"

To avert her eyes he looked up at the ceiling. "No reason."

Finally Hikari caught on. Was her best friend actually hiding something from her? It pained her to know he couldn't quite trust her. Still, she decided not to press the issue so as not to stress Takeru further.

With this final morning class left before winter break, Tai waited impatiently for his World Literatures teacher to finish lecturing. College students were promised an earlier break than the high school children and he had big plans. Sure, he had to pick up Hikari from school but that was five hours away. Tai planned on visiting the Takenouchi flower shop to have a talk with Sora.

_What exactly is going on between those two?_ He asked himself. In his stress, Tai began to chew on the eraser of his pencil. _Get a grip, it's no big deal. She's just a girl! And you're happy for them anyway, right?_

"Wrong!" snapped their professor at a timid student.

Tai snapped from his daydreams to find Dr. Brown fuming at the student who had given the incorrect answer. He rolled his eyes; this happened at every class!

"It's a metaphor, not a simile!" expelled Tai. Really, how could that kid get it wrong?

Dr. Brown glared at Tai before nodding his head approvingly. "Good job, Mr. Kamiya." He had barely begun to sing his praise when the bell rang. "Get a move on kids! You don't want to be late for your break!"

The class, as usual, had no reply for their teacher for they had begun to chat wildly about their plans. Many kids asked Tai what he would be up to, but he told them quite honestly he didn't know yet. Besides meeting up with a few old friends, there really was nothing planned.

Several girls were disappointed when he didn't take up their offers for dinner. He was well liked, as the only sophomore starting for their soccer team. It hardly bothered him though. None of them were right for him. Hikari reminded him of this constantly; still, she may be biased.

Tai's dorm was two buildings away and he thanked the Gods that he did soccer because his trained legs got him to his room in a flash. Everyone must have thought he was rude, considering he never stopped to talk. He yelled apologies after them and made sure to smile, but that was it.

He had made some very good friends in the last year and a half of college, but none seemed to compare to his bond with the Digidestined. There was something strong in their relationship, something that couldn't be broken. When meeting new friends, Tai couldn't help but compare them to his oldest, best friends.

Sitting on his bed were his already-packed bags. All his homework for the break was already stowed into his backpack. He took out the last of his unneeded books and bolted back out towards the parking lot. His school was only ten or so miles from home. Tai would be able to travel by bike.

The ride took him nearly an hour; his legs were tired from the previous night of practice. By the time he was on familiar streets, he was sweaty and his uniform shirt was damp.

Appearance did not matter at the moment, though. His curiosity was burning. The Takenouchi Flower Shoppe was not very far anymore. Just approximately fifty-seven yards and he'd see her…

She was wearing her yellow cardigan. Her tanned and slim fingers were turning the keys to the flower shoppe, which always opened at eleven. Sora hadn't had classes at all today because she had chosen to take her sophomore literature course over the summer. So in exchange for class, her mother set her to work.

As she entered the shop, the bells jingled softly. The sweet sound was mangled by the turn of a bicycle chain. Sora heard several bags clunk to the floor and in entered Tai Kamiya.

His blazer was lying next to his bike outside. Now he stood clad in his dress pants and shirt. The button up was almost soaked through. She could practically see the crevices in his arms where muscle had formed. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He was still scrawny, but some the bone was replaced with buff. Even his chest had the faintest outline of tone.

Tai was grinning at her. Rather than flatten his hair, the moisture from his sweat had just made it bigger. It made her giggle.

"Hi, Tai!"

"Sora," he replied with his huge smile.

"Did you really bike here? From university?"

"Just for you!" said Tai, bounding towards her for a hug.

She smiled and blushed a little bit. It was sweet of him. But still, there could only be two reasons for his being here and each option would make her uncomfortable.

Tai might be here to exclaim his love for her. He might ask her to leave Matt and just try to have a relationship with him. However, He might be here to find out what was really going on with her and his best friend. Granted, this later option is more realistic.

"How have you been? Since Friday, I mean."

"I've been just brilliant!" His smile was dazzling. He looked genuinely happy. Sora tried to perk up.

"That's great, Tai. Would you mind helping me around the store for a bit?"

"Of course not. That's why I'm here…" he scoped the room. "What do you need me to do?"

"Move the potted lilies to the store window and take the roses to the back so I can water them. And then could you transfer the large vases so the line the east wall?" Sora rattled off as she looked at the checklist on her clipboard.

"Holy Gennai, Sora, why don't you just have me redo the entire store!"

"'Holy Gennai'? Really, Tai?" she asked quizzically.

"Feeling nostalgic."

"'Nostalgic'? Well, at least your vocabulary has improved."

He glared playfully at her. "I resent that, Ms. Takenouchi."

The two laughed before Sora snapped out of it and began barking orders again.

Tai set to work. The vases were very heavy and fragile, which made him extra cautious. The roses were very light, but water dripped through the bottom so Tai had to be careful not to slip. The lilies were a cinch to move.

In the end, the store looked just how Sora pictured it. "Good job, Mr. Kamiya. We're up for hire, you could come help out if you like!"

"That was nearly two hours of labor! I demand at least 16 dollars," he replied, huffing.

"But you did it just for me, right?" she asked, her eyes shining.

His face softened. It nearly made her melt, the way he looked at her. Tai smiled softly. "Yeah… I suppose I did."

Shamelessly, he stared at her. He really did look good, Sora noted. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to stare back. His warm brown eyes bore into hers and she shivered.

"Er, so… Lunch?" asked Tai, finally looking away.

"I have to wait for Matt. He usually comes to pick me up, so we can have lunch together."

Much to Sora's surprise, Tai didn't flinch. He leaned casually against the counter and began a conversation. "What's going on between you two, anyway?"

"Well… We're in a relationship, I suppose. He really takes care of me, even though he's so busy. Somehow he always finds the time."

"When were you two going to go public with it?"

"Well, we don't want the paparazzi to know. They already have two pictures of us."

Tai rolled his eyes. "Sora, I meant public as in your friends."

She reddened. "Of course… Well, we were hoping everyone would just sort of… figure it out?"

"Because that worked out so well," he muttered under his breath. Sora heard it, though she wasn't supposed to, and she flinched.

"Don't be angry with me, Tai."

He snapped his head up and there was another smile on it again. "I'm not mad at you, Sora. I don't think I could be." While the statement was true, his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It was the first false grin she had ever seen on Tai's face.

But oh, how Sora wished she could believe it.

* * *

The breeze was light and for once Takeru had taken off his hat. It blew through his light, blonde locks. He was sitting on the hill behind Hikari's dance class building, waiting for her as he did every Monday and Thursday. Tai would have picked her up, but he had forgotten his sister's dance lessons all together. He called Takeru and asked him to go in his stead, so that the older boy could hang out with Sora. Ever the gentleman, Takeru agreed.

Typically, he would just listen to the birds above him and fiddled with the grass. Currently, he was unable to do these things. Davis Motomiya had decided to accompany him. Right now, Davis was in the process of learning how Takeru got his hair to flow so well with the wind.

"They're like… feathers! Not even Matt's hair does that!"

Takeru rolled his eyes. He was slightly annoyed with the begoggled boy. Waiting for Hikari was something he usually did alone. Was Davis trying to undermine his whole routine?

"My hair's just a giant ball of bleh… Tai's is even better than mine!"

"Everyone likes Tai's hair," pointed out Takeru

"Yeah, and no one likes mine."

Takeru said nothing. Davis did have cool hair, but it was more entertaining to tease him about it.

"So, what's the deal with you and Hikari?" asked Davis. He had this air of arrogance that made Takeru want to punch him.

"Me and Hikari?" _Oh, nothing, we've just been best friends since we were eight. No big deal. While you've been chasing her around, her and I have had real conversations. Don't sweat it._ "We're friends. Best friends."

"Just friends?"

"I said best," he snapped.

Davis lied down and looked up at the clouds. "Well, she and I are really hitting it off."

"That's what Willis said," said Takeru darkly.

Still, the other boy seemed oblivious to anything negative. It was as if he was floating on his own cloud of hair and goggles.

_And Hikari. He has Hikari on his cloud now, too_.

"So, Takeru, since you and Hikari are best friends, you suppose could give me a view pointers?"

Takeru turned to look at Davis, bemused. Was he really asking him for help? Did he really just use his full name? He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't dead.

Davis frowned. "Fine, T.N. Don't share."

"Look, it's not like I'm being selfish," he began to explain.

"Then what is it? You like her too? That's not surprising. Nearly everyone does."

That was true. Hikari was like a love at first sight for most boys. She was sweet, and quiet, and gentle, and really cute to boot. It was a wonder how anyone could hang out with her for so long and not feel anything…

"But you and I, T.S., have the upper hand. We're her friends!" Davis slung an arm around Takeru and began to paint the scene. "She gets to know us the best! And after all those adventures in the Digiworld, she knows how brave and strong we can be! It's just a battle of who she likes better now."

Takeru had the upper hand in that battle, too. Or, he _did_. Today it seemed that He and Davis were equals.

"I don't…" Takeru began, but then he decided it was best not to tell, so he continued with, "Davis, if you want to woo Hikari, stop hanging all over her."

"You hang around her all the time," said Davis, his face pouting at Takeru's unfairness.

"Well, that's because she allows me to. You just show up and then flirt mercilessly."

"I have mercy! Remember when I _didn't_ beat up those kids who made fun of my goggles?"

"Davis, calm down. It's just an expression."

Frustrated, Takeru stood up and began to walk. He was heading for the entrance of the dance studio; Hikari's class was almost finished.

But like a dog to a treat, Davis followed. "Wait up, Takeru!"

Hearing his name used properly by Davis would take some getting used to. Begrudgingly, he slowed his pace. Davis caught up quickly and began to chatter away again.

He filled Takeru in with the events of Friday night. Apparently, Davis had five more questions to ask Hikari. Hikari only had four left for him.

Takeru was hardly listening. Upon hearing about their game of twenty questions, he began to remember his own experience with that game.

When he and Hikari were eight years old, they traveled the digital world together. The older children were always getting into fights, so the two only had the company of each other.

Hikari had suggested the two play a game to get to know each other better. It spanned for over a week, each child taking care not to waste a question on anything stupid.

Hikari burned through her questions much more quickly. She had a greater curiosity, just like her brother. Takeru had more discipline, like his sibling, and was able to spread his questions out for a longer length of time.

It seemed that Davis and Hikari are similar. It really was a surprise to find that Hikari was more curious than Davis, though. Always impulsive, Takeru had figured that all of Davis' questions would be gone by now.

"We should play a game that's similar, Takeru," Davis offered. He seemed to be really trying to make amends. "Except not with as many questions. I hardly had the attention span to play with Hikari."

Much to his chagrin, Takeru found himself laughing. "Okay, then, Davis. Sounds good to me,"

"You first. Ask away!"

Takeru was suddenly serious. "Why do you like Hikari?"

"Well, uh, she's cute, and she cares about people, and she loves her family, which is always a good sign… She can take care of herself, and hates being taken care of…I learned that the hard way. And she dances and likes soccer… I don't know! Why do _you_ like Hikari?"

He was completely taken off guard by that question. Was it that obvious that he liked Hikari, or was Davis just fishing for answers? Takeru had barely realized he had feelings for Hikari until now, but had the whole world already known?

Davis' answers to the question were, surprisingly, not superficial. For some reason, Takeru had wanted Davis to say something meaningless, thus affirming the fact that Takeru loved her more.

Was love the right word? Possibly. But not everyone had to know that.

"Davis," he began with a sigh. "I don't like Hikari. She's my best friend and the closest person I have, but I don't like her in that way."

It wasn't a complete lie. Takeru Takaishi does not lie. It was only a little, white lie. He didn't like Hikari. He loved her. On a much deeper level than Davis could understand. It made Takeru want to protect her and always make sure she was safe and happy. That was all he could do.

"Well, good. Because if you did, you'd have some hard competition. And that's me."

They had only asked each other one question each when Hikari finally arrived in front of them. She was still in her dance clothes and she looked slim and tall. Though she was only 5"5, the leotard amplified her body.

Takeru was used to this and just smiled at her. Davis, however, was gaping. It made Takeru angry that he looked at her in that way, but let the boy drool anyhow. After all, he did the same thing the first time he saw her at dance class.

"Ready to go home?"

"Definitely. I'm tired," she said, indicating her sore feet.

"Piggy-back?"

"Please?"

Easily, Takeru lifted her and began to carry her home. She sat around his shoulders. They did this often. In truth, Takeru had a slim build. From the outside, he would look scrawny, but four years of basketball had gone a long way and he was now able to carry Hikari for a good three miles to her house.

Davis watched the two with a slightly jealous eye. But Takeru had convinced him that he had no romantic feelings for Hikari, so the be-goggled boy looked comfortable enough. They traveled in amiable company.

But just because Davis thought nothing of it, that didn't mean Takeru had to, too. Admittedly, warmth was spreading throughout the blonde boy that he had never felt before. It must have been because he finally realized his feelings for Hikari.

The nylon of her leggings grazed Takeru's neck and her skirt fluttered around his head. He chuckled. Hikari was hunched over, trying to hug his neck so she wouldn't fall. He shifted so that she slid down his back and he could hold her in a true piggy-back position.

Her head lolled onto his left shoulder and she could have fallen asleep right there.

By turning his head in the slightest degree he was able to see her face. "Tired, Hikari?"

"Mhmm," was her only response. Her innocent, amber eyes were fluttering closed.

"Why don't cha sleep then? Me and Takeru can wake you up then you can show us some of your fancy-dancy moves!"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'd love to see your new dance, Hikari," he said, smiling softly at her.

She smiled, and then sleepily said, "Takeru, he said your name properly."

Gently he stroked her hair with his free hand.

"I know… It's weird. Just sleep."

She obeyed and the two boys walked home, playing their little game and thinking their own thoughts.


	3. Volatile Friendships

_A/N: okay, guys, this chapter's a bit shorter than the others. I just wanted to thank you all for reading and clarify a few things! :D Sorry I use some of the Japanese names and some of the American names. Most of my friends are Digimon fans, but some are only familiar with American canon and such so I kept some names American for that reason. I'm sorry I didn't cover all the ships, though! There are some I'd like to touch on at a later date (promise) but for now, I hope you enjoy this Takari/Daikari/Sorato/Taiora fic! Also, Sorry this ones a bit shorter than the past few chapters! Hope it goes over well with you all! Thanks again!_

* * *

**Chapter Three**

It was like lightening when Takeru flew down the court. Hikari was cheering for him on the sidelines and he smiled at her, giving her a quick wave. The ball was passed to him and he refocused himself.

"Play B!" he yelled across the court.

Jamal, his forward, nodded. The ball was faked to him, then passed back to Takeru just in time for him to do a lay-up. They high-fived and began to run the opposite way, bracing themselves for the rebound.

And rebound they did. With only three seconds left, Takeru took a chance and shot from half court. Either way, Odaiba High would win, but he needed to know if he could make this shot.

"Unbelievable!" exclaimed the announcer. "Rookie-Sophomore Takeru Takaishi made a three pointer! This will be a day of reckoning for our opposing team!"

The whole team cheered for him. They all tackled him and formed a dog pile. They had made it to the playoffs! They won the game by thirteen points! Takeru had scored nearly twenty-seven points throughout the whole game. He was a hero!

Once all the boys had cleared off of him, Takeru was tackled again by a much more petite figure. "Congratulations, Takeru! I knew you could do it!"

He rubbed her back as he hugged her. "Thanks, Hikari. It means a lot." A warmth spread through him again.

"You're all sweaty," she commented.

Takeru blushed. "Yeah, I should probably hit the showers."

Hikari began to walk with him towards the lockers. He high fived and grinned several more times. Many people seemed to be impressed, but there was only one person whose attention he craved.

"I suppose you won't be going to the movies with me and Davis tonight?" she asked sweetly.

It was amazing how easily she could lure him into doing anything, but alas he had to refuse. It was a Thursday night, and Takeru always ate dinner with his mother on Thursdays. Tradition was hard to break. Still, something tugged inside him. Hikari would be hanging out with Davis again.

"I'm sorry I can't come. I'd love to go… but."

"You and your mother. I get it, Takeru."

They both smiled, Hikari's a little bit smaller.

"It's just that it might feel like a date. And I guess going out with Davis wouldn't be so bad, but I just wanted to have a close friend near by…"

Takeru had no idea what to say to that. They had reached the double doors and sweat could be smelled even with them shut. Hikari made a face and they laughed together. She gave him another brief hug.

"Rush home and tell your mother the news, then," she said.

Takeru pat her hair. "Of course I will. Try not to have too much fun without me, okay?"

"I'll try! But Davis is actually a riot," Hikari said as she danced away.

It was strange of her to say that. Honestly, Takeru could not tell if that was sarcasm or not. She really had been cozy with Davis in the last week or so. Yet it would be childish to feel that he was being replaced…

"Nice shot, Sophomore," said Jamal, ruffling Takeru's sweaty hair.

Takeru smiled. "Thanks."

"Was that your girlfriend out there? I don't mean to rob the cradle or anything, but she's pretty cute," Jamal added casually. He was drying himself off with a towel.

The younger boy blushed. "Er, no. She's my best friend though."

"You should make her your girlfriend!" added Mike, another one of the older players.

"You can't _make_ someone your girlfriend," said Takeru, slightly offended on Hikari's behalf. "Besides, she's going to the movies with one of the soccer boys: Davis Motomiya?" He wasn't sure if the other boys knew about Davis.

"Ooohhhh," the whole locker room replied. There were some chuckles, making Takeru turn even redder.

Jamal walked over to Takeru and clapped at his shoulder with a pale hand. "Hey, my man can take it! Do you all think that other dudes any sort of competition against our _star_ player?"

The compliment was taken humbly. The whole team changed their jeers to whistles of appreciation.

Coach came in a few minutes later. He turned on the showers and left the locker room, allowing the boys to wash up. Takeru made his shower quick… He needed to talk with his mom.

* * *

Tai was home alone tonight. His mother and father were at a dinner party for Mr. Kamiya's company and would be staying at the hotel that night. Hikari was out with Davis _again_. Distantly he wondered how her relationship with Takeru still was…

Cooking was something very familiar to Tai now. Though, in truth, his specialty was breakfast. For dinner, he prepared himself a warm plate of spinach omelette and pancakes. The sausages were canned, and though non-perishable foods were not as good, the smell still made Tai's mouth water. He had been home for four days and he was still trying very hard to eat his mother's cooking.

The news was buzzing about the latest act of vandalism in the Digital World. The newscaster was still very ignorant to most things Digital, but at least he knew the basics now. Tai laughed at the thought of the news a few years ago when the television stations thought there were ghosts roaming about, not digimon.

With his eyes still glued to the TV, Tai tried to set himself up a picnic in the living room. It was a night in by his lonesome. He was too timid to ask Sora to come over after she rushed out of the flower shop with Matt, so he decided it best to just enjoy some alone time at home. Initially, he was to hang out with his baby sister, but as noted earlier, Hikari was out with Davis.

An ad for some new kind of laptop flashed across the screen and Tai smiled, thinking of Izzy. He was about to call and invite the boy over before realizing that this was one of the many nights that Izzy was at collegiate night course.

Tai groaned. As much as he tried to convince himself he was happy, he was not one to enjoy alone time. Just as he was admitting this to himself, the doorbell rang. Tai called for the guest to wait while he moved his trays to the side and headed over to the door.

It was slightly surprising to find Matt Ishida at the door. Tai smiled, regardless of the tension, and gave Matt a loose hug. His friend returned the gesture. Once the pleasantries were exchanged, it was awkward once more. Motioning for Matt to follow, Tai headed back to the living room.

"Make yourself at home," he said lightly.

"It is my second home, isn't it?" Matt said with a laugh.

"Third. Dorm rooms."

"I took a year off of schooling. Rock band, you know?"

_Damn him and his fabulous rock band_, Tai thought bitterly, _I'm in school, political sciences, and that's when Sora decides she doesn't want brainy boys._

Matt laughed awkwardly when Tai didn't respond. Apologetically, Tai gave him a shifty smile.

The fork raked across the plate as Tai took bites from his food. He padded at his mouth with a napkin before turning to look at Matt. "Why you here?" Tai asked in mouthfuls.

"Er, just wanted to talk. I haven't spoken to you in a while."

"Well, where do you have the time?" Tai asked, grinning. "Music, touring…_girls_."

Both boys gulped. Lucky for Tai, it just looked as if he was swallowing.

"Yeah, _girls_," Matt muttered.

"How is your girl? Lunch good?"

"Yeah! Yeah, it was good. Sora said you helped out at the store. Thanks for that. She's been trying to get me to help for ages, but things always come up…"

_I rode my bike nearly a million miles. What possibly came up when you have a fancy car?_

"Yeah, I'd imagine you're busy."

"Dad wants to make a documentary of my band, so we've been filming non-stop for the last three weeks."

"Sounds cool, but do you really need another thing to boost your fame?"

"Probably not," Matt said, chuckling.

"Yeah, probably not…"

Both boys turned back to the television, watching in a strained silence. Was that really the only reason Matt was here? Tai had mixed emotions and his thoughts had not ceased whirring. It was great to see his best friend, but with the events that had turned in the last few weeks seemed to have dampened his visit.

Tai snuck a second-long glance at his friend before turning back to his food. Apparently, Matt was thinking the same thing. Tai finished the last few bites of his food and wordlessly headed towards the kitchen.

Matt followed. He leaned against the counter in this cool, casual way. Tai had never been able to achieve that. He was always too wired.

"So," Matt began as Tai ran the water for his dishes, "What were you doing at the Shoppe?"

"Helping Sora out with her stuff," replied Tai, shrugging. He shifted his eyes to take a sneaky glance at Matt. He seemed tense.

"That's it? She thinks you went there for something else. Then I heard she tricked you into helping."

"So I helped her. Like you said, _you_ never have time to. Big deal," Tai retorted again, a bit too gruffly.

Matt snorted, but other than that said nothing. He crossed his arms, adding to his mystique.

"Snorting isn't very attractive, Matt," Tai slighted.

He heard Matt exhale. It sounded like a tense breath. Immediately, Tai regretted his little jibe.

"Hey, I'm sorry 'bout that—"

"What's your problem?" exploded Matt.

Tai could already feel a fight coming on; a huge one. The last time they had argued like this, they were children. But despite the ominous atmosphere, he could not hold his tongue.

Dishes clashed as Tai ditched his chore. He rounded on Matt. "What's _my_ problem? Are you joking, Matt?"

"I don't see the joke in this at all, actually," Matt countered.

After wiping his hands on the dishtowel, Tai threw it down angrily and stormed from the room. It hurt to find out how out of touch he and his best friend really were now. It felt terrible to realize that a girl, both of their best friends, was tearing them apart.

Angry steps told Taichi that Matt was right behind him.

"You're just going to walk away from this? That's not like you, Tai!"

"Well, maybe going to _school_ taught me a few new things!"

Matt snorted again, causing Tai to raise an eyebrow challengingly. "Poli-sci, right? You aren't too good at keeping your cool. If you ask me, you don't have a real career in it at all."

"At least I'm _trying _for a real career! And nobody did ask you!"

Matt glared coolly. Tai mimicked him. Neither boy said anything.

After a few minutes of intense staring, Matt let out a low chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief. This angered Tai.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just that I always knew you were the jealous type."

Tai bit his lip, his eyes trying their hardest not to reflect his hurt. He was the jealous type. Matt was right. It just wasn't like best pals to point things like that out.

"It's hilarious, because whenever Izzy would ask about it I would just shake him off. No big deal, like you said, right? You're my best friend. She's _my_ girlfriend. There's no problem there. No harm. No Foul."

_There was a problem,_ thought Tai quietly to himself. _Plenty of hurt done_.

"But apparently, best friends isn't enough for you. You want to be the same person, Tai? Want to have what I have?"

"Just because you live large, no school, lots of money, girls… that doesn't mean I want that! That doesn't mean I'm jealous!"

"I don't need girls, Tai. I have Sora, if you recall."

Tai felt his back stiffen. The truth was that Tai envied all of Matt's fortune for one purpose: because Sora liked that. If Sora wanted a rock star, Tai would pray he'd wake up a rock star the next morning. It hardly seemed fair.

When they were younger, Sora would always tease Tai about the fact that their then-soccer-teammate Izzy was smarter than him, even though he was a year younger. In the Digital World, she always told him he was getting smarter, more logical.

But she didn't want that anymore. She wanted a college-ditching, no-time-to-help, blondie like Matt. Though everyone deferred to him as the leader, Tai felt like things never went his way.

"You can have her, Matt," he said quietly.

"I _do_ have her, Tai. Stop questioning that!"

"I'm not trying to undermine you or anything, okay?" Tai said, trying to keep his cool in an effort to prove Matt wrong. "I went to the Shoppe to find out what was going on between you two. It would've been nice if you told me off the bat, but hey… I had to get the information somehow, right?"

"It feels like shit to think that your best friend isn't even happy for you."

"It feels like shit to realize that the girl you've been in love with for seven years is going out with your best friend. But you know what, Matt? I'm still _trying_ to be happy for you."

Matt bit his lip, trying to hold out from saying anything too rude. "Tai, you know you can't have her."

"I know," Tai said in a small voice. Why did he have to keep reminding him of that?

"Accept that. Then we'll talk."

Tai nodded, having nothing else to say. He shoved his hands in his pocket, his fists clenching and unclenching.

"I'm out. Tell Hikari I say hi. And your parents, too."

"Be sure to greet Sora for me," Tai replied.

Matt's fist flexed and within a second it connected with Tai's jaw. Tai's fingers brushed gingerly over the skin before averting his cold eyes to Matt's.

"What was that for?"

"You're so damn bitter, Tai! Be happy for us! If you had Sora, I'd try and move on. Be happy for _you_ because I owe you that much! Don't think I love her any less than you do!"

"Stop acting like I'm some sort of bad guy! You don't think I'm trying to be happy for you? I want the best for the two of you! I love you both."

"You love her a little too much."

"Now who's jealous?" Tai said exasperatedly.

"It's natural for me to be jealous—"

"As it is for me."

"—Just try and lay off. I know that we're both hurting you. And I'm sorry it's so hard. But this whole thing is tearing all three of us apart! We were the best of friends, Tai. The best."

"I know. I'm sorry it's been like this, but right now I can't deal with it. Maybe you're right. I should move on." The pain was terrible as those words emitted from his throat.

Matt blinked, staring over at his best friend one last time before he left. "Sora's mine, and I promise you I really am sorry. If we can still be friends, great. But if you need your space, fine."

Tai nodded. The front door closed with Matt on the other side.

He finished his chores in silence, deciding not to wait up for Hikari. She'd get home on time. She was a good girl.

A debate raged on in his head about calling someone just to talk. He was a little unnerved after speaking with Matt. The only person he could think of calling was Sora, but she was off limits for the time being.

Heading to his room, Tai tried to cheer up. He wasn't one to throw a pity party. Still, the rain cloud was ominous over his head.

Sighing, Tai flopped onto his bed. There was nothing better to do now than to sit with the company of his thoughts. But at the moment, his thoughts weren't very good companions.

* * *

_a/n: Sorry for all the author's notes. This is my first story here and I'm just really flattered that _anyone_ even bothered to read it! All 4 reviews really did mean a lot. hehehe :3 __Thanks so much! I really appreciate it! Again, I'm sorry I limited the fic to only a few ships. . .It's just that these are some of my favorite characters. I am rewatching the series lately so I promise I'll try and do some one shots of other couples I ship! :D I really do appreciate you all reading!  
_

_Xo,_

_Bottled fish_


	4. A Lame Digimon Fight & Then Some

**Chapter Four**

_A/N: Still no Kouimi for this chapter. . . I know one of my current followers is hoping for it but I'm really sorry! Anyway. The chapters having been coming in fast because all of them were written a year or so ago. I only recently started writing this again so after we hit chapter five it'll slow down. Thanks for reading!_

_

* * *

_

It had been another week since Hikari's "date" with Davis. They hung out even more after that, with Takeru flushing into the background. Apparently, this gave him more time for his writing; Davis was so supportive.

Davis now made it a habit of sitting at their table, pushing their old table-mate to Davis' old seat at the back of the classroom. Takeru and Hikari hardly spoke at school anymore because Davis was always there, distracting her with jokes and spunk. He was the complete opposite of Takeru's quiet charisma.

He was trying very hard not to be bitter, because it seemed so trivial. But Takeru knew deep down that Hikari was the one. Maybe she was the one for Davis, too, then. That's why they always went to movies together, or made dinner for one another….

They were trudging through the Digital World, checking that everything was in order. Of course, it was a slow day. Considering most humans were limited to only one visit a week since the virus incident, nothing terrible ever happened. Gatomon and the others took their jobs very seriously.

The leaves and soil squished under his sneakers as Takeru followed the others. Davis and Ken were talking with Cody about his transition into Junior high. Only Hikari and Yolei were lagging behind. Their conversation was a bit more interesting.

"I heard you and Davis went on a date!"

Knowing Hikari, she was probably blushing. "Yes. You don't think it was too soon, do you?" Her voice was fretful.

"No, no! Of course not! I mean, you two have known each other since elementary, and he's been pining over you for ages! It's about time actually."

"I suppose."

Much to Takeru's enjoyment, she sounded unsure. He shook his head; he was supposed to be happy for his best friend!

"Me and Ken," continued Yolei. "Now _that _was quick!"

The two girls giggled behind him. Ken stopped walking and turned around, a worried and offended look on his face. Yolei blew him a kiss.

"Totally worth it, Ken! No worries!" Ken's girlfriend smiled sweetly at him.

The whole group laughed at this little exchange. Davis was finally freed from his bubble and lagged behind to walk with Hikari.

Takeru was sure that they were holding hands, but was too sheepish to actually turn around and look. Was the air tense, or was it just him?

"Butter knife…"* muttered Cody.

It was the air.

The gang continued to walk through the trail, occasionally stopping when one would spot something unusual or if another heard something out of the ordinary.

For some reason, no one was speaking anymore. It made things that much stranger. Takeru took entertainment in watching his feet drag along the grass. The leaves crunched beneath his shoes. They were frosty and silver. Ah, winter in the digital world.

"Hey, Takeru, speed it up will you?" teased Davis from behind.

Though he was terribly irritated with his rival, Takeru obliged. His feet, however, seemed to be pounding deep into the earth.

_He hardly knows her! He pines over the _idea_ of her_, Takeru said angrily in his head.

_She's so trusting… She's too good for any of us_, he thought a little more sadly.

His feet trudged, the earth shaking beneath them. _I'm a terrible friend. I shouldn't be mad at either of them._

But he couldn't help it. It just made him so angry that all three of them could be so blind! How had Takeru waited so long? How did Hikari never notice how deeply this would hurt him? Did Davis honestly not realize that Takeru liked her, too? He sighed resignedly.

His feet seemed to slow, dragging rather than trudging. Still, the ground beneath him quaked.

"Do you guys feel that?" asked Cody, his voice cracking from both fear and pubescence.

The group was quiet, each of them snapping from their thoughts to observe. Yes, indeed there was an outside force shaking the floor. Yolei was the first to speak, as usual. "What is that?"

"I'm sure it's just a digimon!" said Hikari, trying to sound bright.

The ground shook more violently, the soil shifting beneath their very feet.

"It's a really big one, then!" Davis said, adjusting the goggles that were shaking from his head. Hikari held his hand more tightly, trying not to fall backwards from the force.

Takeru flinched slightly. In the distance, Patamon and Gatomon came running. They must have abandoned their posts because of the shaking. They looked distressed, but determined. Not far behind were Veemon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon.

Finally, as if it had waited so long for suspense, the digimon surfaced. It was a rather large monochromo; actually three. Two of which had a Digidestined riding it's shoulder. They were both boys, each with mischievous smiles.

"They don't look too trust worthy!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Funny, I've never heard you say _that_!" Ken chided.

Davis and Takeru's angry retorts were interrupted by the roar of the head monochromon.

"You all shut up!" said one of the boys angrily. It made him sound rather childish.

"What are you playing at?" snapped Takeru. "This place was just secured! You shouldn't even be here!"

"Says who? Snobby kids who think they rule this place?" said the other boy.

"Funny, that sounds a lot like what you're all doing!" Yolei snapped.

"No! It's you guys! You think you're all so hot, but you're just ruining all our fun! This place isn't yours!"

"We don't own it, but we are in charge to protect it!" Hikari said, sounding so hurt.

The monochromon all roared, each with furious looks in their eye. "We need them here! They're out partners!"

"Regardless, you guys are bullying us and that's not what getting a digimon is about!" Davis said, his voice furious.

"You have to learn from them, better each other!" Takeru said.

"All you're doing is teaching one another how to fight us!"

The two boys shifted their stances, each pulling out their digivices.

"We didn't want a fight, but that sounds brilliant!" said the first boy.

"Yeah! Cause a little anarchy. Then you'll see it our way!"

Each boy directed their digimon at the original digidestined. Davis thought fast and was the first to call for Veemon to digivolve, Takeru and Ken not far behind.

Within seconds, Paildramon and Angemon were directing their attacks.

"Hand of fate!" cried Angemon.

It was successful, but only infuriated the Monochromon further. They attacked in turn.

Yolei and Hikari were the next to digivolve; Cody had gone to get more help.

Angewomon let out a Celestial arrow followed by Halsemon's tempest wing. One monochromon was down, but Hikari was not happy. She rushed forward, climbing through the mountains and trees. Angewomon caught her and they both flew towards the humans.

One of the boys threw a rock at her but Angewomon dodged it.

"You're all acting like children! This fight is completely stupid!" she said. Stupid was not usually a part of her vocabulary.

"This isn't stupid! This is digimon nature!"

Hikari rolled her eyes, growling under her breath. "I'm sorry but you're wrong!"

Angewomon and Angemon teamed up together. Hikari was dropped down onto the lead Monochromon's shoulder, next to the juvenile boy. He took a fighting stance, glaring at her.

"We'll hold off the wild monochromon! Just try and get him to calm down!" said Angewomon.

"Of course!" Hikari called back, turning reluctantly to her enemy. "Please. Understand, Digimon can be your friends! They promote unity and together we can make the Digital World a beautiful place!"

"That sounds like a load of bull!"

Hikari turned her head away, furious tears running down her face. She spotted Takeru and Davis, who were calling down for her. "I'm fine!" she said to them before turning back.

"Call of your digimon or I assure you, this will be the last time you see them!"

The monochromon beneath them made a roar of anguish. Hikari felt terrible tearing them apart, but she had a feeling that these boys had caused a ruckus here before.

"Was it you?" she asked quietly. "The ones that made the virus? Was that you?"

"It bettered the forest area! It was dying off and we were able to replant!"

"You should have run that by us first! So many digimon were nearly reconfigured! Tentomon! _Legendary_ Tentomon. You're so into technology, chew on that!"

The boy flinched. "But in the end, no one was hurt?" he asked. His voice sounded challenging, but also worried.

"Listen…" she began.

"Trent."

"Listen, Trent. That's not the point. You need to call it off-" The digimon shook angrily beneath her and she lost her footing.

Hikari slid down the metallic shoulders her gloves ripping and her fingers grasping for a piece of friction to hold to. Trent watched her fall, his eyes panicking. With that look, she knew she'd forgive him. But even with his look of paralysis, she still called for his help. "Trent!"

As expected, he did not move. She peeked below her; monochromon were huge! She was nearly a hundred feet up! "Help!"

Takeru turned, his head whipping up. His eyes looked so…so terrified. "Angemon! Angemon, come now!" he called desperately. His eyes sparkled.

Angemon finished basically drilling monochromon into the ground with Angewomon before rushing to Takeru's aid. He was about to ask what the problem was when he saw her. She was slipping off the surface of the monochromon, dropping flat through the air, elevated seventy feet up.

Angemon could actually fly incredibly fast. He was cutting through the air, the resistance beating at his wings.

"Oh, god!" exclaimed Davis, seeing Hikari falling and watching everyone just stand there in horror. Only Takeru seemed sane enough to be doing something proactive. It struck a chord within Davis. "Paildramon, go!"

"On it!"

"Is it just me, or is this whole immature, scenario turning into melodramatics?" asked Yolei, though she sounded horrified.

"Basically," said Davis through gritted teeth.

Angemon got to Hikari first, considering he had a head start. A minute later, they were landing safely on the ground. Ken and Yolei rushed towards the monochromon and their partners while Davis and Takeru went to tend to Hikari.

"Are you okay?" asked Takeru, hugging her once she was on her feet.

"Of course," she mumbled, fisting tightly into his shirt. He rubbed her back rhythmically, trying to make his hands stop shaking.

Davis appeared in front of them, his eyes hard. Was his lip quivering? Reluctantly, Takeru pulled away so Davis could have Hikari.

"I'm fine, Davis, really. I just feel terrible about Trent and…" The couple spoke in hushed words.

It was typical Hikari. According to the rules the Digidestined and Gennai had set, the partners had to go… They upset the balance and the last time that had happened…Well, Ken would explain it better. Still, Hikari would not be able to stand this.

"Hikari, it's what's best. We're not bending the rules for these thugs…"

Takeru couldn't help but eavesdrop. He turned to where Trent and his accomplice sat on the floor, hugging the rookie versions of their monochromons. They looked so upset.

Takeru flexed his fist, turning towards the begoggled boy against his will. "It goes deeper than that!" he yelled.

"What's your problem? I'm just saying that rules or rules!"

"You're an expert at breaking them, Davis! Look at them! Can you imagine being parted from your best friend; from Veemon?"

Davis stalked towards him. He was only three inches shorter now, but still his head tilted upwards to glare at the blonde boy. "Look. Justice is justice. Hikari was hurt. A Digital World _official_ was hurt. You really want that on our hands rather than theirs?"

"No, but still." Takeru exhaled, trying to compose himself. "They don't deserve something so steep! They can be forgiven!"

"They can!" said Hikari earnestly. Davis ignored her, still upset with Takeru.

"Why are you so cut up about it? It's just a simple situation."

"It's not simple when bridges get burned, Davis. Look at them… They're hardly twelve! Sure, they can do so much damage but just think: they have that much power to do good as well! They're upset! They're heartbroken!"

"Who are we talking about? Them or you?"

Takeru glared coolly at him. Hikari took a step back, her eyes shocked.

He was about to walk away… But he double-took and punched Davis right below the jaw. Davis stretched his muscles, then turned to glare at Takeru before punching him back, right in the left temple.

Roughly, Takeru pushed him. Davis only responded with a knee to the stomach.

"Stop it! What is this?" Yolei said, running over. Cody had just arrived and was now taking Trent and his accomplice into custody.

"This clearly goes beyond Trent!" Ken explained.

"Regardless, this isn't what should be happening!" Hikari yelled, sounding terribly panicked.

They fought for nearly five minutes. Takeru shouldered Davis, driving him backwards. "You knew. You had to have known, but you did it anyway."

"If I knew, she knew, and that's the outcome," Davis responded curtly.

"This is all gibberish to me!" Yolei muttered under her breath.

Finally, Takeru backed away. He was wiping off his busted lip. He had no black eyes, but his grazed cheekbones were bleeding slightly. Hikari went to tend to Davis' bleeding nose.

Takeru glared at them both, but his eyes did not look angry; they were hurt, the anguish spilling over. He turned away, only to meet Ken's eye line. Surprisingly, Ken looked sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, Davis," said Takeru after painful exhalation, "No matter how much I resent you at the moment, I am sorry."

Davis said nothing, still glaring.

Takeru grit his teeth so that he would not say anything offensive. He just wanted to get out of there. Patamon flew towards him and rested at his feet. "But there's still a problem at hand!"

"It's good and well that you blew off some steam, but what happens to Trent?" said Yolei in her usual impatient manner.

"Technically, Takeru has more power since he's been a Digidestined the longest," said the calm-voiced Cody.

"They stay together. Their digimon won't be separated," said Takeru in a hard voice.

"Fine, but they'll still be held in custody, right?" Davis argued stubbornly.

Takeru considered the possibility, but Ken spoke first in his collected manner. "They'll stay in custody for now. We'll have to take this up with Tai and Izzy and the others."

Takeru sighed, but Hikari looked hopeful. "Knowing them, they'll side with us, Takeru!" He smiled softly at her.

"Sounds just great," grumbled Davis.

Hikari giggled and skipped back to her boyfriend. She was now cheered by the happy prospects of Trent's future. Happily, she pecked Davis' cheek, taking care not to bump his bruising eye. He blushed.

While Yolei and Cody began to prepare the criminals for departure, Ken worked on some new security for the Digital World via laptop. Davis, Hikari, and Takeru simply stood there. One was fuming, one was anxious, and the final was tryng to forget. It was an awkward silence, one they were all eager to escape.

After nearly an hour, they headed home. Arriving in Davis' place, Takeru took leave as soon as possible.

It was raining; how clichéd. It fit his mood, well though. Takeru pulled up his hood and began to walk home. Davis would be walking Hikari home in the opposite direction, and knowing her she would not bring up the fight that happened today. She probably would not inquire what it was about because deep down she knew the reason. The situation would not be confronted for eternities; for Hikari, ignorance was bliss.

He stared up at the rain, sighing. Yes, love was difficult.

_*as in air is so tense you could slice through it with a butter knife_

* * *

It was late, but regardless of the time Tai found himself on the soccer field. It wasn't to clear his head or something cheesy like that—it was to distract himself. When Matt came over, they established that he needed space. At that moment, he just wanted to be with a few other people: Augumon and his sister, Hikari. It was a shame neither was available for him.

Angrily, he ran at the soccer ball and slid, kicking it with the exact bottom of his foot. It jet straight into the net with much force. He sat up and watched it roll out of the goal. There was a small smile on his face as he scanned the damp, dark field for any possibly onlookers. There were none. Tai gripped at his elbow, tense.

This was exactly what had him fed up. He tried so hard and hardly anyone ever noticed. It wasn't that he did it for the glory, but at times it felt like everyone expected so much from him but never really cared about the outcome. The pressure was for nothing.

_Well, _Tai thought, _that's not entirely true._ Augumon was incapable of being with him at the moment, and he knew Hikari would always be there for him. Maybe she just needed space as well.

Tai lay down on the field, eagle spread. His fingers touched at the grass, as if looking for another hand to hold. But as he lay there, laced in sweat and embitterment, he found himself truly alone.

Though he had a tough exterior and tended to push people away, Tai really knew what was important: his friends and giving them his all. They always thought of him as a leader and expected him to take care of them, but who was to take care of him?

"Look at you," he scoffed at himself, "You're over thinking things. You're being too emotional."

He stood up and rubbed at his face, scrubbing any hint of hurt from its features. As he was going to pick up his soccer ball, he received a phone call.

"Izzy?" he said as he answered the phone.

"Why does everyone sound so surprised whenever I call? Is it that no one wants to talk to me?" He sounded frustrated.

"No, no! I'm actually happy to hear your voice—well, I'm always happy to, but especially this time! Really, if you were here, I'd hug you!"

"Tai, you always say the weirdest, but most honest, things. Thanks," replied Izzy with a chuckle. "But anyway. I come bearing some grim news."

Tai grabbed his soccer ball, biting his lip nervously. As he began the walk home, he tensely said, "Talk to me."

"Well, the kids found the culprit for the virus. Some kid named Trent—and apparently his digimon was also involved."

Tai grit his teeth. "This can't be good."

"It's not! The kids are in a tough spot. Hikari and Takeru refuse, under any circumstances, to separate the kid from his digimon—"

"And they're right. If Augumon was taken from me permanently, I'd be crushed. They're a kids best friend!"

"I know, I know. But Ken and Davis think that justice is justice and that Trent should have realized what a grave mistake he had made."

This _was_ a tough decision, but if was perfect practice for an aspiring politician. "This is going to be awful of me, but I'll need Ken's help. My idea is that we keep them in a specialized jail, but together."

"Don't forget, he's also just a kid," Izzy interjected.

"Oh, that's right, huh? Well, we'll have to put him on trial. And since the Digimon was involved, he'll be tried, too. We'll need some kind of holding cell to keep his power contained—"

"Oh! Which is why you need Ken!"

"Exactly, my brainy friend!" Tai laughed happily for the first time that day. "Anyway. We'll have to put them on trial and come up with the punishment from there. But so far I'm leaning towards not separating them. The kid seems smart, maybe we could turn him around."

"I agree—you've got to be a genius to write a code that infects the entire Digital World!" Izzy said, slightly enthusiastically. "I'm actually excited to meet him."

"Only you, Izzy," Tai said with a tired chuckle. "So, what else is up?—"

"I've actually got to go!" Izzy said, cutting him off. "I've got a code to finish writing for class!"

Tai felt his voice falter. "Oh, okay. See you around."

"Right! See ya!"

There was a click on the line and Tai shoved the phone into his pocket. It was nice hearing from Izzy, he just wished it wasn't about trouble.

He continued to walk, feeling slightly accomplished with his visit to the soccer field. He had made every goal (choosing to ignore the fact that no one was playing against him) and he got to talk to Izzy. Sure, he ended up thinking more than he had anticipated, but in the end he felt a bit happier.

As he entered his apartment building, he stumbled upon Davis and Hikari. Embarrassed, he backed away to give them their space.

"Don't worry, Tai, I'm not doing anything bad," Hikari said, laughing. "We were just talking."

"Davis doesn't talk, he grunts," Tai countered with a chuckle. He walked forward again and pushed the elevator button. "You coming up with us?"

Davis shook his head. "I should get going. Night, Hikari!" He kissed her lightly, to which Tai looked away.

As Davis exited the building, Tai and Hikari stood outside the elevator in an awkward silence. It was only until they entered the elevator that Tai spoke.

"Well, you're awfully cushy with Mr. Motomiya now."

Hikari blushed. "I guess. We're dating now."

"Noted," Tai said, nodding evenly. He was staring at the top of the elevator, where the lights indicated what floor they were on. "What about Takeru?"

Hikari's head snapped up. "What about him?" she sounded flustered.

Tai looked down at her, scanning her face. It wasn't as innocent as it seemed; she knew what he was talking about. "Nothing," he said, shaking his head.

"Right. He and I are just. . .Just friends."

Tai nodded. "Didn't say otherwise," though he kind of had.

The doors opened and Tai allowed his sister to exit first. So Takeru was now in the "just friends" zone? He sighed, feeling sorry for the boy. He knew what was he was going through. Still, Tai supposed not both of the Ishida-Takaishi brothers could get the girl.

* * *

_a/n:  
_

_that fight was ridiculously stupid. Well, I felt stupid writing it. The Digimon fight, I mean, not the davis vs. Takeru fight. Glad you stayed with me throughout it, though. Thanks so much for reading/reviewing! Your support means a lot! I'm actually really glad to see that the fanfiction community still actively reads/writes about Digimon Adventures! So yup. . .Thanks! hahaha_


	5. Adjusting

_A/N: this chapter's a bit short but it's meant to set up for later chapters. Chapter six might be a bit short as well, but bear with me. I promise I'll try and give you guys something good. I'd also like to apologize if it gets too sappy for you at times. I'm a big fan of the inner-monologue and emotionally-driven stories, so I tend to utilize those elements. Anyway, read on and tell me what you think! Thanks so much! : )_

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* * *

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**Chapter Five**

The problem with having issues with your best friend is that you can never speak with the one you miss most. This is how Takeru felt as he sat on the lobby steps of his apartment building, wondering if he was going to visit Hikari or not. He had heard she was a little upset over his brawl with Davis and he hadn't confronted her on the issue yet. Patamon had heard that Hikari missed him, but he also said that Gatomon saw Davis over at her house a lot.

It was almost too easy to replace him.

He had mused these thoughts to Yolei, but she had dismissed him as being more sensitive than a girl. Takeru tried not to take it too personally. He was a little heart broken and was looking for a little more sympathy.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Visiting her could potentially lead to further complications. What if Davis was there? He'd have to deal with them both which would be awkward because a) of the previous fight between the boys and b) he would become a third-wheel.

Trying to find a middle ground, he decided it would be best to call the Yagami residence first. If she was home, maybe they could speak briefly on the phone. If not, at least he wouldn't waste his time walking over.

It took four rings before somebody actually picked up.

"Hello?" said Takeru tentatively.

"Takeru?" came Tai's voice, half surprised. "I haven't heard about you lately. How've you been?"

"Good," he lied. Had Hikari stopped talking about him? He felt his heart sink.

The line was left silent for a bit before Takeru remembered he had been the one to call. "Oh. Uhm, is Hikari there?"

He heard Tai sigh. "No, sorry, kid. She hasn't been home much lately…"

Takeru swore he heard a mumbling of 'stupid Davis' and he suppressed a chuckle.

Admittedly, his heart sank a bit upon realizing Hikari was not home. Still, he didn't want to just sit at home as he had done for the last few days. She had a life without him—he could do the same without her.

Without thinking, he finally said, "Can I come over?"

There was a pause, then Tai replied, "What—here?"

"Yeah, if that's okay." Takeru felt sheepishness washing over him.

Tai had always been his surrogate brother when Matt wasn't in the mood—and lately, he wasn't. His elder brother had a big life with a great girl and Takeru didn't want to be in the presence of positive energy. He wanted someone who he could whine to and they in turn would give him advice. Tai, though arrogant and rash at times, was great with helping others. As a born leader, he was always able to think objectively, or in the point of view of another. That was exactly what he needed.

There was a sigh on the other end of the phone. "Fine, get over here," said Tai, a small chuckle trailing his sentence.

As Takeru put his phone back in his pocket he thought of what he would do at Tai's. He didn't normally hang out with him unless Hikari was there. When he was eight, he had thought Tai was the coolest—even better than his brother at times. Tai was who he'd turn to when Matt pushed Takeru away. Besides, after a year's worth of adventures in the Digital World, he was sure he and Tai would find something to bond over.

* * *

"So what'd you want?" Tai asked as he leaned against the open doorpost, gesturing for Takeru to enter.

Takeru rubbed his arm nervously, feeling embarrassed. "Uh, just wanted to hang out and talk."

"Er, talk?" Tai said, laughing uneasily. He shut the door with one hand, scratching his head with the other.

"I don't know," Takeru surrendered.

"Well, I was watching soccer. So, uh. . . "

Five minutes later, Takeru and Tai were squatting on the couch munching on chips and watching TV. It really was a traditional guy night with the boys only grunting and pointing at good plays.

The longer they sat there, the more Tai thought of Matt. He remembered how upset he would get when Tai tried to take care of Takeru—Matt was very territorial with those he cared about. But this was half true; Tai shouldn't have to be taking care of Takeru. He had his own sister. And Hikari didn't seem to be too fond of Takeru lately anyway.

As the game went on, Tai watched Takeru out of the corner of his eye. He still looked like his gleeful-eight-year-old self, but his eyes seemed sadder. Tai frowned. Takeru was nearly sixteen now, he should have his own life. He should be learning to let go and move on.

_Kind of like yourself_, he thought bitterly. A sour taste set in his mouth and it was safe to say Tai didn't enjoy it. He glowered at Takeru—this kid was dampening his already-low spirits. Both he and his brother were good at that.

Just as Tai was about to rather rudely ask Takeru out, the younger boy spoke. "It's Hikari."

Tai felt his jaw flex defensively. He was already tense and his sister was always a sore spot for him. "_What's_ Hikari?"

"She's the reason I'm here," Takeru said quietly.

Tai lowered the volume on the television and turned to look at him. He felt himself soften—girl problems, something every boy had. "Okay. What about her?" he said begrudgingly. As childish as it was, Takeru was Matt's brother and Tai saw him as a member of the opposition.

"I—" he paused, embarrassed again. "Nothing."

Tai's jaw twitched with annoyance. "Okay, then."

He reached out to turn the volume up, but then Takeru spoke again. Tai sighed, growing agitated.

"How do you stay neutral?" Takeru's hands were in fists, as if he were trying to control himself.

"Neutral?"

"As a leader. With the other Digidestined, in politics," he paused, then looked at Tai evenly, "With Sora and Matt?"

The elder's back stiffened. "I don't know. I'm surprised you're asking me this at all—flattered, even." He attempted to smile, feeling himself soften at Takeru's plights. "Back in the Digital World you were always the voice of reason. Sure, you were young, but you had a good heart and pure intentions. You always had the right idea."

"I was naïve," Takeru corrected. "But what I mean is this: you always seem so content and confident. Sure, I can make good decisions but I always feel like—like crap in the end. How do you do the right thing for not just everyone, but yourself?"

Tai sighed and rubbed at his face. "You adjust. That's it. You adjust. Because what's best for everyone won't always be what's best for you."

"That's your secret?" Takeru asked sounding quite disappointed. "I was hoping there was some way to win."

"I don't know what your situation is, so I can't say for sure, but I do know that if you hold out long enough it will get better." He paused, thinking it over. "In a way, you do win. What I said earlier—I was wrong. Maybe it's not what's best for you _now_ but it will be in the long run. It will make you a better person."

"A happier person?"

"Like I said," Tai said with a grin, "You have to hold out."

Takeru nodded, looking a little brighter. Typical Digidestined of Hope, Tai thought with a small chuckle.

After much silence, Tai thought of turning up the TV, but he knew that that would be insensitive. Instead, he turned the TV off completely and went to grab a few sodas. When he came back, he passed one to Takeru and sat on the couch.

"So—about my sister, what were you saying?" he asked, smirking mischievously.

Takeru laughed uncomfortably, scratching at his neck. "Don't tell her, okay?" he began, "But I've been having a hard time adjusting to her dating Davis."

"You and me both, kid," Tai said resignedly. "Never thought he'd wear her down so easily. He must have done something special to have gotten her attention."

"Yeah, I bet he's real special," Takeru murmured.

"This worry over Davis—It's not a fraternal kind of worry for Hikari, is it?" Tai asked knowingly.

Takeru shook his head and took a sip of his orange soda.

"Well, I don't blame you. She's quite a catch."

"Yeah. But that's not it. It's not that I just _want_ Hikari—" at this, Tai shifted uncomfortably, "I want her to be happy as well. And she's already happy. . .So like I said, I can't have both."

"Well. . . I suppose you can't," Tai agreed gravely. "You'll have to choose: do you want her to be happy with a fairly decent guy? Or would you rather have her to yourself?"

"Well, that depends. I don't really know if _I_ can make her happy," Takeru said, staring moodily at his drink.

Tai rolled his eyes and laughed. "Don't give me that, dude. You're her best friend. And you're _more than_ 'fairly decent.'"

"So I should go after her?" said Takeru, looking up eagerly.

"Woah, woah, woah," Tai said, laughing again and holding up his hands. "Slow down there. Like we established, she's fairly happy now. You can't just _go_ after her impulsively. Trust me, I tried. . ." He ended on a bitter note.

Takeru groaned. "You're giving me mixed advice. Apparently, I would make her happy—but on the contrary, I shouldn't ruin her current happiness. It seems like we're stalemate on this debate."

Tai rubbed his face again, looking rather grumpy. "Back off, okay, I'm still trying to figure this out for myself."

All frustration left Takeru and he felt some sympathy for his current mentor. "I'm sorry. I forgot." He drank more soda to give himself something to do.

"Don't sweat it, okay?" Tai said quietly, "Just a touchy subject." He had to remind himself that Takeru wasn't Matt. "In the end, we're in the same situation."

Takeru looked at him sadly. It really was upsetting to see Tai like this—he tried so hard.

"But," Tai said, exhaling then managing a smile, "You actually have a chance!"

The younger boy grinned and nodded in affirmation. "Thanks, Tai. This really helped. I was afraid to ask Matt for advice because it seems to be so. . . so easy for him, you know?"

Tai nodded. "Trust me, I know. But you're a great guy in your own right."

"Hey, Tai," Takeru began, "I don't know if anyone ever told you this but you've really grown up. A lot*. And for the better."

Tai smiled softly and turned back to the television. Those words stuck with him, as simple as they were. Maybe holding out did pay off eventually . . .

(_a/n: *Agumon tell's tai this in the dubbed version of _'A Very Digi-Christmas'_)_

* * *

Tai was just cleaning up, despite Takeru having left two hours ago. It was now eleven and Tai just wanted to go to sleep. It had been a long night; boys weren't meant to talk that much with one another. Still, it was a productive conversation and he felt like he had really gotten somewhere with Takeru.

He chuckled quietly to himself as he rolled up his bag of chips. Takeru liked Hikari—he should have known. It was a wonder they weren't already dating. If he were to be honest, Tai would much rather have Hikari date her old friend than Davis. Davis reminded Tai too much of himself.

There was a small pang of guilt in his chest for the blonde kid, though. He could sympathize completely with him. It was hard watching your best friend get swept off her feet, only to have yourself pushed into the sidelines. With a sigh, he placed the chips in the cupboard and headed to his room.

As he was crossing the hallway, a giggling Hikari entered the front door. He smiled weakly at her, wishing he could try and be happier for his little sister. Her behavior, however, irked him.

"Where have you been?" he asked, realizing his voice sounded rather cold.

She looked at him, surprised, then answered, "I was with Davis. We hung out at the playground of his old apartment complex. He said he used to go there as a kid. Cute, huh?" She took off her sneakers and placed them by the door before following Tai into their room.

Tai grunted a response and began to change. Hikari scoured the room for her own pajamas. She usually changed in the bathroom. As she was leaving, she paused at the doorway. "What'd you do tonight?" she asked courteously.

"I hung out with Takeru," he called from over his shoulder. He could just feel her get tenser and he smiled a little bit.

"Oh. Why's that? Did he know I wasn't home?" Hikari sounded downtrodden.

"Yeah. He assumed you weren't home since you usually aren't now-days. But I don't think he was looking for you." Tai was really laying the guilt on thick.

It was quiet on Hikari's end as she decided what to say next. "Well, what'd you guys talk about?"

"Nothing much. You, the Digital World. Davis."

"Did he tell you about the fight?" Hikari asked, looking rather anxious.

"Not really. I'd heard it all before. Why?" Tai finally turned to face her, tryng to gauge her expression.

"No reason. . . I was just hoping you could tell me what they were fighting about. It seems so trivial. You know boys better than I do, right?" She shrugged, laughing lightly.

"I'm sure there's a solid explanation. Every man has something worth fighting for." He walked over and pat her shoulder comfortingly. He watched her body ease, then smiled at her with a sad, knowing expression. "Especially Takeru."

Hikari blinked up at him, wondering why he would say such a thing. It seemed that her brother knew something she didn't. She attempted to give him a shaky smile. He nodded and kissed her on the forehead.

"Good night, Hikari."

She watched her brother tuck himself in before heading to the bathroom to change. As she washed her face and brushed her teeth, Hikari thought over what Tai had told her. Takeru was fighting for something before—for something he felt passionate about. She thought back to the fight. . .

_They're upset! They're heartbroken!"_

_"Who are we talking about? Them or you?"_

Suddenly, everything dawned on her. Takeru had always been so patient and selfless with her, ever since he had promised to protect her when they were just eight years old. He was ever the gentleman, always letting her lead whilst keeping a guarding eye on her. But despite all these subtle acts of protection, he was still trying. This whole time, in his quiet, Takeru way, he was trying to be with her. He opened doors for her and sent her heartfelt e-mails. He even picked her up from dance class whenever he could. She thought of the way they would hold hands on the way to class—a simple enough gesture that must have meant the world to him. And the whole time she had thought nothing of it.

In the mirror, she watched her own face melt into shock. Takeru's heart was broken. . .and now he was avoiding her. Had she, Hikari, been his reason for fighting all along? Her best friend had cared for her so much and she had taken it for granted. She swallowed back tears as she realized she might be too late—that the fight was over, and Takeru had given up.

* * *

_A/N: I know I started out strong and started to fade towards the middle. . . I took a pause around that area and it took me awhile to get back into the swing of it. Tell me what you think! ;) And goodness, my chapters seem so much denser in word documents than they do uploaded here! hahaha But back to critiquing my own story, I liked the idea of it all crashing down on Hikari and that last line I felt was pretty powerful. I also like the idea of Tai being a stronghold—a leader for everyone and yet still so lonely. __Additionally, __I'm all for constructive criticism as long as you word it in a civilized and helpful manner! __Again, no Kouimi and I'm really sorry about that! Still, thanks for all the reads and reviews. I'm trying hard to finish this story because you guys make me feel so good about it! Your encouragement means the world, honestly. __  
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	6. Emotional, Conflicted, and Confused

_A/N: I promised two weeks ago that I'd get this up in two weeks, so despite my homework load for the weekend (and trust me, it's a lot) I managed to hold true!_

_This chapter's dedicated to a few of my readers. . . it's not that I have favorites or anything but these two have been so encouraging. _

_So, here's to_

_Fiito_

_JonHolliday16_

_thanks so much. Your reviews always mean the world to me._

_Additionally, I apologize in advance for A) The lack of Kouimi x) B) excessive cheesiness, and C) another dialogue-based chapter. _

_Also, it's this weird preference of mine, but I think the best viewing of this text is at 1/2. Other wise it looks all jumbly, flat, and kind of lame . . . but like I said, weird preference.  
_

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**Chapter Six**

The house was silent, save for the slow hum of the microwave. Presently, Hikari was sitting at her kitchen counter watch her phone do nothing. For Hikari and her friends school had just let out. Though they began vacation a week later than colleges, she was just happy to be out of school. Now she was awaiting a text or a call—but she wasn't sure from whom. All she knew was that she had had a lot to think about lately and would have appreciated a distraction.

Unfortunately, her brother had returned to the city for soccer practice. Though he was on break, he still had commitments. Her present boyfriend, Davis, was busy attempting to spend "quality time with his sister." Hikari had mentioned how family-values were important to her and now Davis had committed himself to spending at least a whole day with Jun. And Takeru. . . Well, she and Takeru were still a bit rusty.

In the end, she really had no idea what she was expecting her phone to do. All of her closest friends were too busy at the moment, so she supposed she'd have to get on with a lonesome day in. At least this way, she could eat whatever she wanted and not have to worry about awkward confrontations. She seemed to be having a lot of those lately.

For example, on the last day of school she had attempted to hang out with Takeru. It had been a week since his fight with Davis at the time and she wanted to show him that all was forgiven.

_She touched his arm as he exited Geometry. He hadn't been sitting with her lately. As he turned around, she could see how wide his smile was—only to have it vanish as he realized it meant nothing. _

"_Hi," she said lamely, managing a nervous smile._

_He paralleled her gesture with a sad grin. "Hey. Listen—it's fine. I know what you're going to say: that you're sorry and you want things to be better. And I just wanted to clear things up. _I'm _sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. _I'm _the one who punched your boyfriend." He added a mischievous chuckle._

_She blinked, surprised. "Takeru, that's not what I wanted to say."_

"_It wasn't?" he looked hopeful, and it made her nervous._

"_No. . . but. Uhm, nevermind." She stared at her shoes. _

_He tapped her arm lightly with two fingers and she looked up at him. He was managing a real smile now. "Hikari, really. It's fine. Things are tense right now. . . So now that the apology is over, how about we let things dissipate before continuing our—" He began to struggle for words, a rarity._

"_Friendship?" she supplied._

"_Yeah. Our friendship." He nodded dismissively, though the word did not seem sufficient enough for him._

"_So, does that mean no hanging out?" She pretended to pout at him._

_He laughed, watching her amber eyes swim with false tears. Takeru grabbed his backpack and began to exit the room, gesturing for her to follow. As they walked, he continued speaking. It was so easy to fall into. . . _this_ again. Maybe it wouldn't take as long as he thought. "Well, I suppose we could head out and maybe take some pic—"_

"_Hey, Hikari! Hikari!" Davis's voice boomed loudly over Takeru's. Her head snapped up to greet her intruding boyfriend, just missing the disappointment that flooded her best friend's visage._

From there, Hikari couldn't remember what had happened to Takeru. He must have simply walked away, for after she was finished exchanging pleasantries with Davis, he was no longer there.

In truth, she was slightly upset with him. Just because she had a boyfriend that didn't mean she was going to drop Takeru completely. Was that really what she had been doing? Was that how he thought of her? The three of them were all friends—or she had thought they were. Why hadn't he stayed and offered to take her out anyway? She could have shrugged Davis off and hung out with her best friend, like old times. Davis would have understood if that was really what she had wanted.

Takeru was being very immature about the whole situation; he had had his chance and now he had to suffer the consequences of not seizing it.

Then suddenly realization washed over her and she found herself gaping at what she had just thought. After she pealed away the anger, the guilt, and more importantly: the denial, Hikari found the truth. She had in fact been waiting for Takeru . . .but after what seemed like ages of no response, she had decided to move on. She may have missed her chance with him, but he had also missed his chance with her.

"And Davis is a perfectly good boyfriend," she said aloud in an attempt to reaffirm this belief.

And that was the truth. Davis had been so sweet to her, something she had not expected at all. Though he had seemed aggressive and flirtatious before, she realized he was almost like a puppy demanding attention. In the past few weeks, he had changed for her: he texted her daily, walked her home, hung out with his sister, brought his grades up. . . It was incredible. And despite all the change, he still managed to be the boisterous, naïve, determined, and loyal Davis she had grown used to.

It took her about ten seconds to snap from her reverie and realize that the microwave was beeping. She checked her phone pointlessly one last time before going to grab her microwave macaroni. As she opened the door, she found that a _beep_ was still ringing throughout the apartment. It was the doorbell.

"Tai!" came a muffled voice. "I know you're in there. I heard the microwave and can smell the macaroni!"

Hikari giggled quietly to herself, recovering from her surprise. After placing the macaroni on the counter, she went to open the door.

"Hello, Sora!" she said, half laughing. The older girl seemed so surprised that it wasn't Tai who had answered.

She finally recovered herself and stepped through the threshold, holding out her arms for a hug. They embraced briefly before settling into the house.

Sora was well accustomed to the Yagami residence. Unlike the other original Digidestined, Sora had known Tai and Hikari since they were all children. She and Tai had gone to school together and played soccer on the same team growing up. When he friends began to ignore her for letting down the team, Tai had become her friend. She was from then on a tomboy, trying to impress Tai as much as possible. They had an odd, love-hate type of relationship. But it was only recently that they had begun to grow apart.

Tai was actually who she had been hoping to see today. As Hikari made them both some tea, she explained where her brother was. Sora smiled weakly. She could remember the days when she and Tai would go to soccer practice together. He would meet up with her at her house and they'd walk to the field together. On the way home, they'd sometimes get ice cream. . .

"I said, 'Sugar'?" Hikari asked again. Apparently, Sora had zoned out in a reverie. "Did you want sugar?"

"Oh! Uhm, just a bit of honey," she replied.

"But anyway, sorry he's not here. I could take a message to him," Hikari offered. She threw out the tea bags and went to sit by Sora on the couch. She placed the tea on the coffee table then continued to eat her macaroni.

"It's fine," she replied in her usual polite tone, "It wasn't that important I suppose."

Hikari nodded, simply watching and waiting. Sora had insisted that nothing needed to be said; yet she made no move to leave. Finally, after three sips of tea and four minutes of silence, Sora said, "Does he talk about me at all?" She looked up at Hikari, expecting to see sympathy. . . Instead, there was a confused frown.

"No," was the reply. "Not often, not really at all."

"Oh." She tried to hide the hurt by drinking some more.

"But, I suppose it's not really fair to expect him to talk about you. After all, you barely see him. You spend most of your time with your boyfriend."

Hikari paused. Sora was initially offended at how brutal Hikari was being, but upon closer inspection she found her eyes to be unfocused. Hikari wasn't talking to her; not really. It was odd how easily Hikari had become distracted.

"And what's worse is that you're too scared to admit it—or do anything about it. You know he's hurt but you're avoiding it because in the end, what can you really do?"

She looked up at Sora, lost and sad. It was like the old days, when Sora came over daily and gave her the girl advice that Tai could never share. Gently, she placed a hand on Hikari's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Hikari looked away, ashamed. "I haven't spoken to him in ages."

"Me neither," Sora answered, only referring to Tai. "But who are you talking about?"

There was a hesitant moment, and then Hikari answered, "Takeru."

She couldn't help it, but Sora widened her eyes in surprise. He and Hikari had been best friends since their first trip together to the Digital World. They had bonded through life-or-death experiences, and bonds like that were hard to break. As Hikari watched her reaction, she felt guilt overwhelm her again.

"Well, it seems we're both in a tight spot, then, huh?" Sora said in what she hoped was a cheery voice.

Hikari laughed shakily. "I suppose."

Both girls stared moodily at their tea. After this conversation, neither felt very hungry. The silence was stifling. Here was Sora, a seemingly-perfect distraction from Hikari's conflicted thoughts, but really her company just made everything more confusing.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but why _had_ you come here, Sora?" Hikari finally asked, growing irritated with silent company. She didn't want to think.

"Well, I don't know if you knew about this, but—" Sora hesitated. She knew Hikari and Tai were close, and she didn't want to upset her. "Matt said that the other night he and Tai had gotten into a bit of an argument."

"Again?" Hikari asked, surprised. Tai was definitely the physical type, but she had thought the boys had grown out of their rambunctious, 12-year old ways. "What kind of argument?"

Sora glanced at Hikari warily and was glad to see that she, too, looked a bit anxious. "Well, at first there was yelling. And then I heard there was a punch thrown out."

"Oh." Hikari wasn't sure what to say. Tai hadn't told her about this—he never told her anything that would defame his name to her. Her view of him meant everything. Still, she wished Tai would treat her less like a young girl and more like a peer.

Sighing resignedly, for she knew that would never happen, she asked, "What was the fight about?" A small feeling inside Hikari told her the answer. She and Sora's situations really weren't that different . . .

"The fight was about me," came the answer with a sigh.

Hikari exhaled and patted Sora's shoulder sympathetically. "And Mimi had always said having boys fight over you was fun."

"I guess not," added Sora with a small laugh, "It just makes me feel awful about my decisions."

The younger girl nodded, affirming the emotion. She knew exactly what Sora was talking about. Almost in shame, she hung her head.

Sora watched her, feeling sympathy. The Digidestined were all very close friends, but that just made things messier. Finally, she asked, "Is that what happened with Takeru?"

Hikari looked up, her amber eyes sad, and nodded. "Except he's not like Matt or Tai. He's not as straight-forward. He wouldn't tell me anything—he just carries it like some burden, when really it wouldn't be so bad at all if he let me help."

"That's Takeru for you," Sora agreed, "Always trying to be cheery. But you have to realize, he's your best friend. He's probably too shy to say anything, especially now that you're dating Davis."

A blush spread across Hikari's cheeks. Sora must have heard through Matt. "I just don't like how much I'm hurting him without even meaning to."

Sora nodded. "But that's a consequence you have to deal with when you make a choice."

"And I can't choose both of them, can I?" Hikari said dismally, knowing the answer.

"No, you can't," Sora agreed, shaking her head. "If only things could be so easy."

"So did you choose, then?" Hikari inquired. "Between Matt and my brother?"

Now it was Sora's turn to go red. "I-I'm not sure. I'm really happy with Matt. And I love him. . ."

A light went out in Hikari's eyes as she felt a sadness for her brother.

"But," Sora refuted, "I love Tai, too. I'm just not sure in which way yet."

"'Which way'?" Hikari repeated, confused.

"Tai, Matt, you—all the Digidestined. I love you all. But there are different kinds of love." She smiled gently. "There's a maternal love for you and Takeru. And friendly love for Izzy and Joe. And sisterly love for Mimi."

"So what kind is my brother?"

"I don't know. It could be romantic love, or brotherly love. That's what I came here to see. Those two kinds can be easily confused, and I wanted to check for myself."

Hikari nodded. "I see. It's a blurred line between both at times, then, isn't it?"

Sora nodded. "The bottom line is I can't live without any of you. Especially Tai—he's one of my best friends. But lately I can't tell if I see him as more than that. And there's also the possibility that maybe he's confused, too."

"But he cares about you a lot, Sora," Hikari defended quietly. "I can see it in his face. He's different when he thinks about you—more serious."

"He's an intense guy," Sora said, laughing awkwardly. "It's both attractive and intimidating."

Hikari couldn't help but agree, but chose not to comment in case she said anything, er, strange. Feeling a bit heavy from this conversation, she stood up and took the dishes to the sink. Diligent and distracted, she began scrubbing at the bowls.

Sora knew Hikari better than this and followed her to the kitchen. She rifled through some of the mail, giving Hikari a moment to simmer out. The Yagami's had a lot of bills and coupons being mailed in, but what attracted her eye was a letter from the Hayashi-Saito Law Firm in Tokyo. In the upper left of the envelope, the address sticker read that it was from the Internship Department. The envelope was large, probably containing important information.

Tai was looking into interning in Law. He was completely serious in his goals—to be the first Digital World Ambassador for the UN. Sora smiled in admiration; he was growing up a lot.

As Hikari wiped her hands, having finished the dishes, she looked over to Sora. "I think he's trying to impress you," she said covertly. "He doesn't blatantly say it, but he's trying to be better for you."

Sora gave Hikari a watery smile. Though a brash man, Tai's heart was always in the right place. It had just taken him a few years to get his priorities in order. The back of Sora's mind wondered if he had taken too long, or if being mature was enough for her. . .She shook her head of negative thoughts, refusing to think ill of Tai for the time being.

Placing their mail back on the counter, she looked up at Hikari with a determined face. "He's sweet—but enough about me! What are _you_ going to do about your situation?"

"I'm happy with Davis," Hikari said half-heartedly. She caught her own hesitation and nodded firmly as if to reinforce what she'd said. "And he's happy with me. Very happy."

"But could you be happier?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't believe Hikari's show for a minute.

"Maybe. There's always room for more happiness, right?" she said evasively.

"You know what I mean. Could you be happier with Takeru, maybe?" Sora couldn't deny she had always supported Takeru and Hikari's potential relationship.

"I don't know!" Hikari said, rubbing her temples in frustration. "I don't know. Maybe I could. Maybe I shouldn't be with anyone. It's just causing a mess. In the end, someone always gets hurt."

"That's how life is," Sora soothed, "But they always pick themselves back up, too."

Hikari chewed over Sora's words, tightening her hold on the paper towel she had been using earlier. She realized she was pulverizing it, and threw it away in the trashcan beneath the sink. After, she rather roughly slammed the cabinet shut.

"If Takeru could just be happy for me, this mess wouldn't be happening," she mumbled.

Sora knew she didn't mean it. Hikari rarely blamed anyone but herself. She waited for Hikari to continue, knowing the girl would eventually figure it out.

"Davis has been so good to me and he got to me first," she said, her voice growing quieter, sadder. "If-If Takeru had just been there first. . ."

This thought had been resurfacing in her mind repeatedly. If Takeru _had_ gotten there first, there was no doubt she would have said yes to him. But like he had waited too long to make a move, she had equally taken forever to realize he had wanted to. She sighed, feeling guilty. She had hurt one of her best friends, and if she were to change her mind she'd end up hurting Davis's as well. Maybe it was past her and Takeru's time now.

Sora took Hikari into a hug as she watched the girl's face crumble. "Like I said—It's about _your_ happiness, Hikari. The others will always manage to find their own." She pulled away and looked the younger girl in the face. Sora knew full well Hikari would pay her no heed. Hikari was infamous for placing others first.

On that note, Sora grabbed her bag from the coat rack. "I should probably get going."

Hikari nodded, still a bit flustered from all her intrusive thinking.

As Sora reached for the doorknob, she saw it turn on it's own. Immediately, a sense of dread washed over her. She could just feel who it was. It even smelled like him.

"Tai!" Hikari called from behind. Her voice sounded both anxious and surprised.

He was about to greet his sister when he stepped through the threshold and found Sora Takenouchi just four inches from himself. "Sora?" he said, breaking into a large smile. The expression was fleeting; within seconds he went stoic, numb.

He backed up to give her some space, closing the door in the process. He hung up his coat, never taking his eyes off of her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just leaving, actually," Sora said, tucking hair behind her ear nervously.

"Oh, right," he replied, nodding dismally. "Well, what _were_ you doing here?"

"I just came to talk to Hikari. I heard she got a boyfriend and I was very excited for her!" She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she continued to lie in vain.

"Maybe you two could double," Tai suggested with a big laugh. He was trying to hard, only making it seem faker.

"Mhmm, we'll try and get something going," she said quietly as she made her way to the door. "I don't want to be late."

Tai stepped aside, letting her pass. "For what?" he asked, scratching his head to look uninterested.

"Uhm. . . " Mentally, she cursed herself for bringing anything up. "I'm going to the Teenage Wolves concert."

A cloud passed over Tai's face, but he attempted to nod amicably. "Well, I'll let you go then." He waved briefly before shoving his hands in his pockets and heading for his room.

Hikari watched after him nervously. Upset, Sora trudged out the door, feeling embarrassed and heartless despite her best attempts to remain neutral with Tai. It felt awful, hurting him like this.

"What was that you were saying about your own happiness?" Hikari asked cheekily, though her voice sounded as sad as Sora felt. "It's not easy, is it?"

"Well, you have to hope that it will get easier," Sora replied after a shaky breath. "Please make sure he's okay."

"He always is," Hikari replied, shutting the door behind her friend.

* * *

Tai was perched on his bed, hands folded in his lap as he stared pensively at the ground. It was brilliant seeing her today; they barely spoke anymore. But still, he couldn't help but feel some loss as he walked away from her.

"She's not doing this to hurt you," came his sister's voice. He looked up to see her leaning against the doorframe.

"Of course she's not. She never would," Tai said as evenly as possible. "No one ever does."

Sighing, she went to sit by him on the bed. Gently, she took his arm and leaned on his shoulder. "You're not alone, you know. You keep acting as if the world's out to get you."

"I know it's not, Hikari. I-I just feel like I put a lot of effort into keeping everyone together. I'm still a leader. But sometimes I wonder who's going to keep me together."

He looked up at his sister, expecting her to laugh at how cheesy that was. But he should have remembered that was never Hikari's way. Instead, she gave him a wide smile.

"We're all on stand-by with the glue, ready to paste our fearless leader back together should he fall apart!"

Tai chuckled, pulling his sister under his arm and ruffling her hair. "Thanks, Hikari."

She smiled, reaching up to fix her hair once he had released her. "No problem, Tai." There was a pause, then she added, "I'm sorry it's not working out."

Feeling a bit invigorated by the company of his sister, he said, "Maybe I'll give it one more go."

Hikari looked at him worriedly, but otherwise said nothing. There was no stopping Tai once he had an idea, but she wasn't quite sure how this one would play out. Sora had seemed attracted to Tai, but she also seemed very unsure about him.

"Just don't get in over your head," she said finally.

"Do I ever?" he replied cheekily, feeling anxiety and excitement fill him.

"Please don't make me answer that!"

Both siblings laughed. Hikari gave her brother one last hug, and he in turn kissed her forehead.

"Thanks, little sister," he said, smiling. It was a brief conversation, but it was all he needed to not feel alone. Hikari was right: no one was trying to hurt him, and by wallowing he was only hurting himself.

"Not a problem!" Hikari skipped for the door. She would probably watch more TV in another attempt for distraction. Just as she was just reaching for the remote, Tai called after her.

"Hey," he began, his voice tentative, "you talk to Takeru lately?"

Hikari froze. She didn't bother turning around, in case he saw how guilty she felt. She wished she _could_ talk to Takeru and help him the way she had helped her big brother just now, but that didn't seem possible. Takeru wasn't like Tai. He took ages to move on. And there was still that resurfacing thought of whether or not Hikari _wanted_ him to move on. And then there was her problem with Davis and whether or not she should break up with him for Takeru. Or if Takeru would still be her friend if she _didn't_ break up with Davis. And And And And. . .

And there were a million reasons not to talk to him, but none were as valid as the reasons why she _should_. "No, I haven't," she replied quietly.

Her hands balled into fists, and she dropped the remote onto the couch. If Tai could make a turn-around, so could she. There were many problems and many consequences to face, but she was just going to have to buck up. None of it would be solved with avoidance.

Nervously, she reached for her phone. The ring was dull, but it pulsed loudly within her ears. She imagined his reaction when he picked up the phone. Would he be like Tai? Excited at first, only to falter into sadness. Perhaps he would be upset at how she had disregarded him at their last encounter . . . But she knew Takeru; he was always a mix of everything with the uncanny ability to reveal nothing.

And sure enough, there came his hopeful, tense, excited, but melancholy greeting.

"Hikari?"

* * *

_A/N: So the purpose of Chapter Five and Chapter Six is to parallel the two separate, but similar, situations of Hikari, Davis, and Takeru and Taichi, Matt, and Sora. Hikari's very wishy-washy in this chapter, but I'd imagine in a situation like this she would be. She's always worried about others, but since this situation involves both Davis and Takeru she is very torn. As for Tai, he does feel a bit isolated at the moment but we all know him: he's always looking for a pick-me-up. _

_We'll get to see lots more character interaction within the next few chapters, such as DavisxHikari, TakeruxHikari, Tai and Matt, Taiora, and Sorato, so hang tight!_

_I hope this chapter wasn't too cheesy. I'm sorry if I'm not taking any plot-based critiques to heart, but I already have the story planned out so only minor changes will be made if any. However, if you have any style critiques I'm open to those as well! Thanks so much for reading!_

_Review if you can, but it's definitely not necessary. Having readers period means a lot! 3_

_X_

_Bottled Fish_


	7. Misconstrued 71

**Chapter Seven**

"_Hikari?"_

"_Takeru! You answered!" She sounded relieved._

_"Of course I answered," he said flatly, as if it was so obvious he would. In reality, there was a large smile plastered across his face. But he didn't want her to know that he was excited. He didn't want her to realize how much he had missed her._

"_Oh, right," came her reply. _

_Her voice was a bit muffled; she was probably chewing on her lip. All girls did this when they were nervous, but when Hikari did it, it was so much more irresistible. His imagination went into overdrive with reveries of her as he waited patiently for her to continue._

"_Well. . . How've you been?"_

_He paused, deciding how best to answer. "Just fine."_

_"Just?" Hikari knew him well enough to realize that the 'just' was intentional. Takeru never used words that were unnecessary. _

"_Yes, just. As in nothing exponentially exciting has happened, but nothing too sad has happened either." True, he missed Hikari dearly but he didn't want her to know that, either. He was hiding a lot from her lately. "I'm getting by, is what I mean," he added a bit more kindly. After all, he didn't want her stressing too much._

"_Well, I've missed you," she said, her voice quieter than usual. "I've just been getting by, too. Life can be incredibly hard without your best friend."_

"_Can it now?" he said, arrogance ringing in his tone._

_She laughed softly, making his smile stretch farther. "Yes, Takeru. It can. So when can I see you?"_

"_Whenever, as long as you want to," he said. He didn't want to force her out of excitement; nor did he want to get his hopes up if she was just going to flake on him for her boyfriend. _

"_I want to," she said firmly._

_Takeru let out an audible chuckle. He could hear her breathe out in relief now that she knew he wasn't upset with her._

"_Hang on, then." There was a rustling of papers as Takeru searched for his planner. "I'm free on Tuesday, two days from now."_

"_Hmm . . ." His heart sank as her hesitation became evident. However, she agreed to two days from now. "It'll be our day."_

"_Okay, Hikari. Sounds wonderful."_

"_Agreed."_

The sun shined across the crystal waves, the soft crushing sound providing a pleasant soundtrack as he waited at the bus stop. The sea breeze wafted through the restless leaves of the trees overhead. For a moment, Takeru took off his hat, allowing the wind to work its way through his fair hair. He smiled to himself. To a passerby, he may have looked a bit mad. But in truth he'd never felt more at peace.

Since childhood, Takeru had always had a greater appreciation for—well, everything. Sweet mornings like this were enough to make him happy for the rest of the day. Some called it naivety, but he just thought of it as gratitude. Though, simply saying "it was a nice morning" would be a lie. There was a bigger factor contributing to his happiness today, and it came in the form of one Hikari Yagami.

Two days ago, she had called to apologize for being so out of touch with him as of late. She had recently acquired a boyfriend, who also happened to be a subtle, though amicable, rival of Takeru's. It had been a bit tense between them, given Takeru's hidden feelings for his best friend. But rather than guilt her with a profession of his feelings, he decided it'd be best to take a back seat and let her happiness take over.

He didn't tell her this in the phone call, of course. Instead, he attempted to act nonchalant. The phone call itself was short, as there was some unrelieved tension that couldn't be solved in just a few sentences. But he supposed that was what today was for: forgiveness and reconciliations between old friends.

Nervously, he checked his phone for the second time. She had said to meet her at the bus stop in front of the school at half past eleven. It was currently eleven twenty-two.

Takeru let out a sigh of frustration, which was echoed by his backpack. He nearly jumped as he remembered what—or rather, who—was inside. Quickly, he opened it. "So sorry, Patamon."

"You promised me fresh air! Then you shoved me in a backpack. You could have at least left me snacks."

"Sorry, buddy, I'm just a bit—"

"Distracted. It's okay, Takeru!" Patamon smiled at him and nodded. "At least I'm out now!"

Takeru smiled in thanks. He fished his pockets for a stick of gum and gave it to Patamon. "Will this hold you over?"

His digimon made a face, as if to say Takeru was crazy. "Never mind. I'll just pick something up with Gatomon when we go scavenging!"

The blonde smiled and nodded in agreement. Though most of the real world had digimon now, very few were used to seeing them in public yet. That, combined with habit, always provoked Takeru to travel with Patamon in a knapsack. Admittedly, the little guy never really minded so long as he wasn't left in there for too long. At least that way he wouldn't have to walk or fly.

But because of the covertness of having digimon, Patamon rarely got to go out. So when Takeru asked him if he wanted to see Gatomon, Patamon jumped at the chance. The two were as good of friends as Takeru and Hikari were.

As Patamon stretched his wings, Takeru watched him fly around with admiration. He made it look so easy. "You should try it some time," commented the digimon as he flapped his ear-wings.

Takeru shot him a dry look. "I'll be sure to do that once my malting season is over and my wings are ready."

Patamon paid the jibe no heed and continued to float through the air, rather pleased with himself. Takeru chuckled at his innocence, then reverted back to his thoughts.

"Takeru!" someone called. His head snapped upwards in that direction. It was Hikari, cradling Gatomon in her arms and running towards him excitedly.

He stood up and motioned for Patamon to land. As he walked towards her, Patamon nestled himself one Takeru's head.

"Hey!" he said in greeting. Awkwardly, he helped up his hand. _What, are you going to high-five her or something?_ he chastised.

Hikari, however, had other ideas. Wasting no time, she placed Gatomon on the ground and turned to hug him tightly. He felt his muscles relax as he wound his arms around her shoulders. There was a bit of hesitation as he held her; it wasn't too tight, as if scared to find out she wasn't real.

She smelled wonderful, though. Her usual Hikari scent: a warm mix of jasmine and vanilla. It was gentle on his nose and filled his lungs completely. In his elation, he traced small circles on her shoulder.

He had no idea how long the hug lasted, but he saw her shiver as she pulled away. Judging by her smile, though, it was a good kind of shake. Pleased with himself, he gave her a wide, genuine grin.

"It's so good seeing you," she gushed. Her eyes shone with eagerness and excitement. She was happy to see he wasn't upset with her. But he could never stay mad at her.

"Same to you," he agreed lamely. He was distracted. Takeru continued to watch her with his boiling blue eyes.

He was convinced she was nearly perfect. He admired the way her caramel hair turned a pale gold as the sun swept it across her pale complexion. Her tiny frame was just small enough to cradle with the promise of never letting go, but she was strong enough to hold her own. She had a large, willing smile that cracked so wide it almost didn't fit her face. But the gentle sincerity of her happiness overpowered the disproportion. Of course, Hikari didn't fully achieve perfection, but he didn't mind. She wouldn't be as beautiful. As they say, there was something beautiful in the broken.

Under his gaze, Hikari fidgeted uncomfortably. A slow, peach blush spread through her cheeks and she bit her lip, the corners of which had turned up slightly in a shy smile. He could tell she was flattered, in addition to any discomfort.

"You're staring, Takeru," she murmured.

He attempted to blink away, but he couldn't. His eyes had gone unfocused and he couldn't change his line of sight. It was as if he was seeing through her physique, to something real. He smiled sheepishly, still unable to stop admiring her because he had zoned out*.

"It's fine, just hold still," she said, rummaging through her back. At last, she pulled out her camera. "You're cute when concentrating." Hikari giggled quietly.

The flash from her camera snapped him from his preoccupation. He walked closer to her as she loaded the picture, and he looked at it from over her shoulder.

Takeru let out a bark of laughter. He thought he'd looked rather ridiculous—it was a bit dramatic after all. The sea winds were still blowing at his hair, and surely enough, he was staring into the camera with blue intensity. His eyes looked like they were seeing beyond.

Hikari pushed at his shoulder lightly. "Don't laugh! I like it!"

She placed the camera in her bag and went to sit on the bus stop bench. Her nose was in the air, being quite pleased with the picture she had taken.

Just as Takeru was walking to sit by her, the bus began pulling against the curb. A sense of giddiness washed over him. Ever the gentleman, he held out his hand to help Hikari back up. After, he called for Patamon and Gatomon to join them. Filled with adrenaline, he followed Hikari into the bus.

"This is to Highton View Terrace, correct?" Hikari confirmed, giving the driver her pass.

The man nodded. "You visiting the TV station or something?" That was why most tourists went.

"No, we grew up there," Takeru supplied. "A lot of fond memories."

The driver shrugged; it really didn't matter to him.

Takeru and Hikari both made their way towards the back of the bus. Patamon and Gatomon had just made it as the door shut, panting. A young girl gasped as she saw the orange digimon fly in, also letting out a squeal of delight. Patamon took this in great stride, causing Takeru to groan. He should have put that bat-thing in his backpack.

Hikari, who was already sitting by the window, tugged on his hand and gestured for him to join her. Sighing, he sat down. The trip would be an hour or so, but Hikari was more than enough company for him. Besides, they had a lot to talk about.

Despite the need for conversation, however, the first fifteen minutes of their bus ride was filled with silence. The topic of speech wasn't exactly a public one, so they were both waiting for the bus to empty. It was lunch hour, so the driver was making his rounds picking up and dropping off workers for lunch breaks. The seats fluctuated between full and empty, usually somewhere in between.

It wasn't until after the fifth stop that the bus ceased picking up passengers, and they still hadn't left Odaiba. Impatiently, he checked his watch. Each minute of silence made him all the more anxious.

At last, only Takeru, Hikari, their digimon, and four others remained on the bus. The other civilians were a ways away from the kids' seats near the back of the bus. They were definitely out of earshot.

However, Hikari still did not speak. As he watched her, she just stared out the window as if she didn't notice. A serene, small smile graced her face.

He knew full well what she was doing. Hikari had an awful habit of blaming herself for everything. But when it came to someone else blaming her or revealing her faults, she astutely ignored them. She said it was because she already knew she was faulted, and couldn't bear to be knit-picked. That she wasn't strong enough to take it.

Takeru knew she was just in denial. The caramel-haired girl was plenty strong. People often mistook her for a fragile thing, but he knew all the better.

Besides, he was expecting an apology. Had she not just spent the last few weeks pushing him aside for her boyfriend? His eyebrows furrowed into a scowl.

Just to annoy her, he decided to open the conversation with the following hushed line: "You shouldn't have called me cute."

More than anything, she didn't like being told what to do. Being someone who rarely did anything mean, Hikari didn't enjoy being corrected. She tried so hard to please people—she really did, and Takeru could admit this—so when they corrected her it made them seem ungrateful.

Slowly, she turned to look at him, confused. A flicker of annoyance was evident in her eyes. "And why not?"

"Because you're dating someone," he said smugly. He crossed his arms and straightened his back—a universal stance of arrogance. Though, what did he have to be arrogant about, exactly? She wasn't dating _him_. He silenced his mind and tried to allow himself the small victory of his little jibe.

At last, a look of hurt fell upon her face. She didn't say anything.

"You shouldn't call your best friend cute. It could be misleading—I might misinterpret your intentions."

Hikari fidgeted with her fingers. Guilt began to weigh upon Takeru. He wanted her to become angry, not sad. That was her usual way. She must have felt that it was really her fault.

Still, he continued to needle her. "What _were_ your intentions Hikari?" He was no longer simply referring to her comment about his aesthetics; he was thinking about the bigger picture. "What did you mean?"

"By what?" she asked innocently. From the way her shoulders tensed, Takeru knew she was just being evasive—she knew exactly what he meant.

"By now? Here, on this bus? Or three weeks ago where you'd call me until three am? Or one week ago, where things changed and you did a really good job of disregarding me. What'd you mean by any of that?"

"It wasn't to hurt you. Or lead you on. Like you said earlier, don't misconstrue things—"

"Considered them misconstrued," he said rather snappishly. He folded his arms across his chest for good measure.

She sighed. "Takeru, can we not? This isn't how I wanted to spend my day with you—talking like this."

"I didn't want to, either. I wanted to hang out with my best friend, like I had wanted to for the last how many weeks." He looked down at her, feeling anger, regret, and hurt all at once. "But this conversation—it's unavoidable, isn't it? We can't get away from it. That's half the reason we're even here."

All of what he had said was true, yet he did feel a bit vulnerable—and perhaps whiny—admitting to it. But he knew he had gotten through to her. He wasn't going to beat around the bush: their friendship was in dangerous waters and ignoring the rapids wouldn't do them any good.

Her eyes were bloodshot as Hikari stared at him, unblinking and searching. She sniffled and then turned away, dabbing at her eyes. They were subtle tears for a subtle girl. Again, Takeru felt bad. Maybe it had been his fault—maybe he had deluded himself.

He _had_ misconstrued their friendship. In the past, she may have never been flirting with him. It was all in his imagination. He felt the bruise on his ego worsen—they were best friends, but that was it. He had always thought that there was something more, but there wasn't. But he couldn't admit any of that to her without explicitly admitting to her that he liked her.

Now feeling uncomfortable at their exchange, Takeru set his jaw tight and stared straight ahead. Hikari looked out the side window. He wanted to talk this out, but he didn't want to force the conversation on her. Not when she was already breaking. No matter how angry he got, he had to be fair.

As the minutes passed, the bus drove on. After twenty minutes, the bus driver picked up his walkie-talkie and announced that they would be approaching Highton View Terrace in less than four minutes.

Hikari stood up and smoothed her clothes before reaching up into the overhead shelf to claim her backpack. Even as she stepped over Takeru, she avoided his gaze.

Girls were always pretty after they cried, Takeru reflected as he watched her. She was standing on the tips of her toes, trying to reach for her things. Her amber eyes were dark and glossy and her eyelashes entertained tiny droplets of tears. Hikari bit her lip as she finally pulled her backpack free, her slender arms moving to cradle her possessions. Yes, even in this bare simplicity, she was beautiful.

Finally, she looked down at him. The bus halted and she lurched forward a step, but otherwise kept her composure. "If you really had misconstrued things—If you had honestly thought I was flirting all along, why didn't you do anything about it?"

A/N:

Sorry it's been so long! I haven't been writing much as of late but here's some of what was Chapter Seven. It's actually supposed to be more comprehensive—with Tai & Sora parts—but we'll save that for another day, yes?

Thanks for bearing with me! I know it cuts off at a weird spot but I thought it was high-time I uploaded _something_, eh?

X

Bottled Fish

_*do you ever get this? I zone out when staring all the time and you just can't possibly look away! Ahhaha and that last paragraph is me paralleling again. Maybe I should do that less often._


End file.
